Treasure Planet II: The Lost Heart
by NeverTooLate03
Summary: Four years after Jim and his friends returned from Treasure Planet. Jim finds himself in another dangerous situation.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet.**

**Chapter One:**

It has been four years since Jim and his friends found Treasure Planet and returned home as heroes. Jim Hawkins has grown up quite a lot, now a grad from the Interstellar Academy; he is treated with more respect from the law enforcement and his mom and friends. Looking in the mirror in his room at his mom's Inn he realizes his maturity isn't the only thing that has changed. He was taller, bigger, and his muscles are now more defined. His brown hair is now shaggy and has the look of being untidy because sometimes his hair would sometimes get in the way of his eyes. After four years of things being uneventful, he was ready for something if anything would happen to change that.

"James Hawkins!" His mother called from the dining area in the Inn.

"Coming," Jim responded.

He grabbed his apron and headed downstairs. He didn't mind helping out his mom, he just wished his work was more exciting. He is planning own buying his own ship soon and try and find his way in the universe. Hopefully he will make enough money this year so he can finally fulfill his dream.

"I cannot believe this!" He heard Amelia exclaim as he passed her and Doctor Delbert Doppler by on his way to the kitchen.

"What?" Delbert looked up from his dish, clearly surprised.

"I cannot believe I didn't hear about this sooner! You would think that friends of…ugh really!" Amelia almost lost control there. Her voice sounded as though she was about start screaming at the top of her lungs.

Jim noticing Amelia's tone came to a sudden stop and turned around to listen to Amelia.

"Amelia, dear," Delbert said gently, concerned for his wife, "what's wrong?"

She pointed at an article she was reading and Delbert took it and started caressing his wife's hand. Delbert proceeded to read out loud:

_The Kaysers_

_Everybody has heard stories of pirates making their treacherous ways across the universe. But the Kaysers are a rare story only told through only the elite at the Interstellar Academy. But new sources reveal that the Kaysers are not just starred teachers at the Academy. Oh no…but pirates. If may recall a couple decades ago there was a ship by the name of 'Flints' Second' who harvested pirates whose only job was to find Flints' long lost treasure. Sources reveal that the captain on the ship was Captain Noah Kayser, otherwise known as one of the stars at the Academy. A professor, mind you. Why anyone in their right mind would trust a retired pirate, is beyond me._

Jim snorted at this remark.

_Apparently the 'professor' had some luck as a pirate and was able to acquire great means of riches before his retirement. This made him respected in the pirating world but also very valuable. His death about two years ago and was allegedly accidental, but now the law enforcement is questioning whether it was accidental or murder. The law enforcement's belief is that with Kayser out of the way it would be easier to gain access to his treasure, that is hidden somewhere in the galaxy. But whoever did this did not expect the difficulty in finding the treasure. My sources revealed to me that the only clue to where the treasure is hidden is through Noah Kayser's daughter, who has been missing ever since her father's untimely death. So it is a race to whichever pirate can reach Kayser's daughter and persuade her to giving them the secret of Kayser's hidden treasure._

"What an awful article!" Delbert exclaimed throwing it down on the table. "First they persecute the poor guy and then put a big red target on his daughter."

Amelia only gave a sigh to this remark as her head was on the table.

"Wait, honey, did you know him?"

Amelia brought her head up and stated sadly, "Yes, I knew him and his daughter. He was a good man and professor."

"And what about his daughter?" Delbert asked. Jim leaned in closer to get the full story.

"Oh, Kate was a very bright and cunning girl. Knew how to work her way around any machinery once she graduated." Amelia stated matter of fact. "But she was always very closed off, other students would try to get to know her and she would just become invisible. It was very sad. I'm guessing her mother's death had something to do to it."

"What happened to her mother?" Jim asked. Delbert and Amelia both jumped, they didn't know Jim was behind them.

"Hey, Jim aren't you suppose to be helping your mother?" Delbert asked raising a brow.

"I will. You didn't answer my question." Jim stated looking at Amelia.

"Oh all right then, might as well tell the whole story." She shook her head and went on, "the only reason Noah quit his captaincy was because of Olivia. He fell in love." Amelia stopped as she looked at Jim's skeptical face. "I know how it sounds but it really is a love story."

Suddenly a pink blob zoomed past the group, realizing Jim was a part of the group came back and started to caress Jim's cheek.

"Oh hey Morph, I was wondering where you went off to." Jim looked at his pink friend.

"Anyways, Olivia was perfectly content on becoming a criminal with Noah," Amelia continued, "and they lived on the ship as a happily married couple for awhile. Then Olivia got pregnant. Not wanting to risk their child's life in their dangerous lifestyle, Noah resigned leaving his first mate to do his job."

"Who was his first mate?" Jim asked, curious.

"Don't know," Amelia answered, "never told me. I guess Noah didn't want his old friend hunted down. He did tell me though he named his first mate Kate's Godfather."

"Interesting," Delbert mused, "why trust your only child in the hands of a pirate…" Delbert clearly was now thinking hard.

"They lived happily together for a couple years, but then Olivia came down with a serious illness. She eventually died." Amelia stopped looking down at her sleeping son in her arms. Delbert put his hand on his wife's shoulder for comfort.

"Oh, well, Noah was clearly distraught and would lock himself in his room for days. After he got over his mourning, he decided his life mission was to make sure Kate never experienced extreme pain like the pain he went through. He was a devoted father to Kate, never leaving her side and always supportive."

Morph burst into tears. Jim comforted him looking off into the distance.

"That is a very moving story, love," Delbert said, looking at his wife.

The whole group was in silence because of the awe of Amelia's true story which was soon interrupted by a huge bang in the kitchen.

"And that's my cue," Jim stated, tearing himself away from the group. He was thinking about Noah Kayser working as a professor at the Academy. Jim heard stories about him from other students and was looking forward to his class but by the time Jim had reached his junior year, Noah Kayser had disappeared from the Academy.

It was a long day at the Inn. Jim kept sweeping in and out of the kitchen with dishes for the customers and dirty dishes that needed to be washed. And cleaning up after B.E.N. wasn't a fun job either.

"I am so sorry, Jimmy," apologized B.E.N. for the third time today he spilled juice on Jim.

"It's okay, just don't do it again," Jim said sternly.

"Yes Captain Jimmy, sir!" He exclaimed as he whizzed off to another part of the kitchen. Jim shook his head and continued cleaning up the mess. He heard someone sigh and looked up, his mother was standing there looking at her son.

"Don't worry, mom I will get it cleaned up."

"Okay, then you're fired." Jim's head snapped up and looked at his mother, jaw dropped.

"WH-What!?" He exclaimed.

"Oh, Jim, I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner," his mother said sadly, "it was selfish of me really keeping you here this long. You are a spacer, Jim. You need to be out there, exploring, not in this place wasting your life away."

"I'm not wasting my life away here! I love you, mom. It's just I do not have enough money to even," Sarah Hawkins cut off her son.

"You have plenty of money now. I sort of have been secretly saving for you too," Ms. Hawkins confessed.

The look on Jim's face was pure shock.

"Now go and be the captain I always knew you would become," she said looking at his face.

Jim looked at his mom and rushed to give her a hug. "Thank you so much."

Sarah Hawkins looked down at her son and for a second saw the same son who just got permission to keep a pet he found while exploring. She embraced her son and concealed a tear that slipped through her eye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet.**

**Chapter Two:**

Not bathing for long periods of time was hard to do, especially for a young woman. But being constantly chased by pirates day in and day out can cause a person to go days if not weeks without a minute to herself. Katharine Kayser was immensely enjoying her hot bath because she knew it could be the only one she got for maybe a couple days. She was so sick of running. She was sore and bruises were now always just assumed to be found on her body. Kate slowly ran her hand across her tender side which she knew was probably fun shades of purple, yellow and green. She ran her hand toward her shoulder where she met a scar that was given to her not too long ago. Then she ran her hands through her face washing it and being grateful that her face has not been altered at all since her journey began. Kate was also grateful for the quietness of the room she was in. Oh, to be able to hear her own thoughts again! It was rare quiet uneventful moments Kate cherished now. The ironic part was that two years ago she would have given anything to have her uneventful life changed dramatically.

She sighed and slipped herself deeper into the tub. Trying to force the memories of two years ago back into her brain. She did not want to think about it. She grieved and now it was the time of moving on. But the 'moving on' part was the question. Kate had no idea what the future held for her and being hunted down was not part of what she had in mind. Ugh. Deciding it was time to get ready for the day Kate slowly got out of the tub and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around herself she examined herself in the square shaped mirror she was given. The curls of her reddish brown hair still shaped her oval face perfectly with the matching high cheekbones. She received a light tan from all her travels which only made her beauty glow more. Her deep chocolate brown eyes were highlighted by dark lashes courtesy of her mother.

_Damn it,_ she thought. If Kate didn't have her mother's beauty maybe she wouldn't be so recognizable to those demons that chased her. The only physical trait different from her mother's was Kate's hair color, which she received from her father, Noah Kayser.

Suddenly the lights flickered and Kate hurriedly got dressed. Grabbing her father's twin swords and her mother's old pirating hat she flew out of the bathroom door. She was on a transport ship and flickering lights were common but she didn't want to risk anything. She quickly found the holster that carried her gun on the nightstand table next to the small cramped in bed and heard a noise. Kate quickly turned around pointing the gun at a shadow guarding the exit out of her little bedroom.

"God damn it," she swore. "You scared me," she said to the shadow.

"Didn't mean no harm, lass," the shadow laughed a bit. "Glad yer up though, we are almost there."

"Don't mean trouble still ain't coming," she retorted.

"Good, I am sure glad I taught ya somethin' in the past couple years," the shadow responded.

Kate gave the shadow a fierce accusing look while fastening her holster to her waist.

The shadow laughed again. "Ya know," it said, "ya look just like yer mother when you do that."

Kate gave a small smile. "So where are we headed again and why?" She asked.

"Ya know where we're headin'," the shadow answered, "the reason behind it should n'it be so hard to figure out Katie."

She winced at the name her father would call her by. "Right," she responded, "you have people you trust there, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then why didn't we come here sooner?" She asked hesitantly.

"That is a good question, lass and here is why," the shadow came forward and sat on the bed which made a large squeal as the combination of the creature's weight and machinery came crashing down.

"This is me last's resort my girl," he answered sadly. "I never wanted to come here yellin' fer help from old friends but," he looked up at Kate's chocolate eyes and sighed, "yer somethin' special kiddo that needs protectin' and I think I need a bit more help in that department."

"Right, the treasure," Kate's eyes hardened.

"No, that ain't it," the creature smiled, "yeah gold is great in all but that is not the wha' life is all about."

Kate raised an eyebrow at her Godfather and said, "Coming from the guy who,"

He cut her off, "Yeah yeah I kno' me actions don't match me words but listen to me anyways," he sighed and continued, "ye kno' the story and to be honest that journey changed me deeply and in a way," he paused, "this journey with you has done the same."

Kate's eyes softened. She never had heard her Godfather speak this way.

"You're tough, smart, stubborn, and stronger than ye think ye are, and if I didn't know any better I would think ya me daughter," the old pirate said softly but with assurance in his voice.

Tears quickly filled up Kate's eyes and watered over to run down her cheeks.

"Oh, now none of that now," he said softly as she threw her arms around him. He comforted her and when she finally came to he said, "yer parents would be so proud."

She looked at him and said, "What happened to you this morning? Did ya bang your head?" She joked albeit a little serious.

He laughed. "Ya know you remind me of someone a lot of times," he stated in a matter of fact way.

She laughed along with him and got up. "Yeah, Silver, you remind of someone a lot of times too," she stated.

"Really, who?" Silver asked.

"My father," Kate answered just as the ship came to a crashing halt.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Jim Hawkins had missed Montressor Space Port. It was always moving; there was always something new going on. He was sitting at a bustling café enjoying his meal after a purchase of a very dignified ship. Jim was ecstatic; the only thing missing from his life now was the thrill of traveling through space with a mission to accomplish. He had already contacted the Interstellar Law Enforcement (ILE) and was urgently sent through to get his permission to pilot his ship in command of ILE. He assumed ILE was in urgent need to get captains and ships considering the rise of pirates have come about since the disappearance of the Kayser girl. He slipped his coffee as Morph nibbled on a cookie Jim had given him.

"Are you just as anxious to get back?" He asked his friend.

Morph squealed in delight and continued to diminish his cookie. Jim smiled. The only thing that was needed before launch was a well-trained crew. ILE told him that they were going to send him some recruits that would be interested in working under him. But Jim had refused. He told them he wanted to find his own crew; a crew he could trust and eventually become friends with. They agreed with him and told him he only had a month to do so before he was needed out in space. Jim promised them it wouldn't take quite that long but now he wasn't sure. He contacted some of his friends from the Academy but all expect one were already on jobs throughout the universe. The only one available was short blond man by the name of Edmund Downey. Jim liked Eddie; he was one of the best trained guys at the Academy at handling with the sails and being a look-out. He was also a very good, humble man. Jim trusted him and only had to wait a couple days for him to get to Montressor.

Jim was in the process of thinking about who else could possibly be put on his crew when the sirens of Montressor Space Port went off. The sirens meant a problem on an incoming ship. It could mean something minor as smuggling or major such as pirates commandeering a ship. Morph was scared of the loud sirens and quickly retreated into Jim's coat pocket.

An announcement came over the speakers that were stationed throughout the small mechanical moon, "Any available Captain or well-trained military cadets report to the Montressor Space Port briefing room for the assessment of an incoming vessel."

Jim knew from experience that this announcement was not a good sign. It was a major problem that needed to be dealt with urgently. Excitement raced through Jim's veins and he was already walking away from the café knowing exactly where he was headed.

**A/N: Not hard to figure out the significance of the incoming vessel. Huh? I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thanks to pottersparky for reviewing my first chapter and his predications. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Three:**

Kate nearly lost her balance when the ship came to an abrupt halt, but she was able to catch herself before she was nearly slammed against the opposite wall. Silver's head was hit up against the wall but he was alright since he was still on the small bed.

"What in the galaxies was tha'?" Silver snarled rubbing the back of his head.

Kate cursed her luck. She knew that the stopping of a transport ship only meant one thing: _trouble_.

The speakers on the ship crackled as an incoming message was about to be said.

"I think we are about to find out." Kate said looking at her Godfather.

"Attention passengers," the Captain's voice rang out, "we have come upon a problem that requires immediate attention." There was a small break as the Captain waited for his words to sink in. "The ship has been commandeered by pirates."

"Damn." Kate simply stated. Silver looked up at her, trying to come up with a plan to get her off the ship, safely.

"They are making me stop the ship and turn around to another planet." The Captain stated, solemnly. "They have requested everyone is to stay in their rooms. People that do not do so will be punished."

Kate and Silver could hear screams echo from around the ship as people began to realize their lives were in danger. Kate grabbed her father's swords and slipped them in their sheath that was attached to her waist. Of course, conflict had to start once she was _almost_ fully recovered from the last one.

She shivered remembering the beating she took before.

"I am guessing that whatever or whoever these killers are after are in the most danger. And I bet you know who you are."

Kate gulped at the brave Captain's words. She knew he was not going to last long if he kept this up. Silver was thinking the same thing and he bowed his head in the knowledge and fear of what was coming.

"My advice to you is to get out and..," the Captain's words were cut off by a gunshot that seemed to echo throughout the ship.

Kate hated this. She knew it was her fault that innocent, brave people died around her. Her back slide down the wall and she landed on the floor mourning another loss. Silver stood up and helped her back up on her feet.

"Now yer heard wha' the foolish man said. Stay where you at and no funny business." The killer's voice threatened the passengers. The speakers crackled as they were turned off.

"I'm going to the engine room," Kate stated and turned around to walk out the door. Silver grabbed her and turned Kate around.

"Now wait here a minute," he looked at Kate's face and filled with pride realizing she already had formed a plan. "What's yer plan, Katie?"

"I'm going to cut their little trip short, so they have to land." Kate's face turned dark.

Silver almost winced at the darkness in Kate's voice. He realized that this journey had hardened her to the point of almost no return.

"Then I am gonna make sure that nobody will brother ye," he replied.

They nodded at each other. Knowing what they each had to do.

"Good luck," Kate said and she took off. Silver shook his head. He taught that girl too much. Her heart was starting to harden. He sighed; he thought he made a breakthrough when she was crying after the things he had told her. Maybe, she hardens only when she had to.

"Here we go again," Silver said and started walking to the bridge.

Jim sat in the briefing room with only a couple other Captains that weren't busy enough to get out of messing with a problem of a transport vessel. Unlike the others Jim wanted to be here. He was beginning to feel useless.

"Alright now," said a pale tall man at the front of the room. He whipped his graying black hair out of his face and looked into the crowd.

"Now knowing that you are all Captains with experience and knowledge, I trust you know what I am about to tell you." The man looked around the room. "Firstly my name is Robert Volker and I have been commanding this Space Port for a couple decades now and I know this job ain't a pretty one. Especially right now." He said this regrettably.

A couple Captains looked up with surprised faces. Apparently some of them thought that this problem was a minor one, nothing to get to upset about. Jim leaned in closer to listen to the man's words.

"I have sent the cadets off to clear off the landing area, just in case." Commander Volker informed them.

The room was silent waiting for their quiet questions to be answered.

"The incoming vessel is a transport ship that has been commandeered by pirates."

At that one statement everybody in the room tensed and then questions started being yelled out all at once.

"What?!"

"Why a transport ship?!"

"How do you know its pirates?"'

"Have there been any threats made?"

"What do they want?!"

Jim sat waiting for the chorus of questions to die down. Jim knew that a Captain's worst fear was a crew of pirates commandeering their ship and that these Captains were all just scared. And Jim couldn't blame them. Pirates were enclosing more and more into ILE territory every year it seems now.

Commander Robert Volker knew this was the response he was going to get and he immediately jotted down the names of the Captains that were losing control of themselves. They will be last ones to enter the vessel if need be, Volker was thinking.

"I believe this recording will answer your questions," Volker stated calmly. "We were able to retrieve it after the Captain didn't respond to an ordered call."

Volker turned on the recording device and sat down knowing what was about to be heard.

"_Attention passengers, we have come upon a problem that requires immediate attention."_

Everybody in the briefing room took in the Captain's words.

_"The ship has been commandeered by pirates. They are making me stop the ship and turn around to another planet. They have requested that everyone is to stay in their rooms. People that do not do so will be punished."_

Jim tightened his fists as he heard the screams from the passengers fade away. He could feel Morph quiver in his coat pocket and started to comfort the little blob.

_"I am guessing that whatever or whoever these killers are after are in the most danger. And I bet you know who you are."_

_Crap,_ thought Jim. Apparently the rest of the Captains thought the same because they all looked at the recording device where the voice was coming from and gave the Captain the respect that was due.

"_My advice to you is to get out and..,"_

The Captain's voice was drowned out by a gunshot and Jim looked away mourning the brave Captain who risked his life to save his passengers.

"_Now yer heard wha' the foolish man said. Stay where you at and no funny business." _

The killer's voice rang out in the briefing room and all the Captains stood up ready for a fight. Everybody wanted revenge for their fellow Captain. But Jim was still sitting pondering the words he had just heard.

_If the pirates wanted to turn around, then why was the ship still heading for Montressor Space Port_? He was asking himself.

Kate stealthily moved herself across the ship toward the engine room. She already knew what she had to do. Just jimmy-rig the oil tubing system so they won't have enough energy to go anywhere but to the location the transport ship was originally headed for.

She stopped when she reached the metal door that guarded the engine room. She slowly cracked open the door and peeked inside. Two pirates were standing guard as they smirked at the engineer who was tied and gagged on the floor. He was bleeding from the head and unconscious. _Great,_ Kate thought sarcastically.

"This was too easy," one of the pirates commented. He was a seven foot tall green raptor with four eyes which looked bored and unsatisfied.

"It's not over yet," replied the dwarf pirate with wild red hair. "That girl still has to be found and then we can blow up this here ship and be on our merry way." He smirked at the raptor.

Kate was thinking that this pair was very odd albeit very smart. They both looked to have their strengths and weaknesses. But what the other was weakened in the other was very strong in. The raptor looked to be very strong and carried at least six pistols on him. The dwarf on the other hand looked to be very swift and he grasped the sword on him that was very long.

Kate gulped when she was done with her assessment. This was not going to be easy.

"I'm going to get some fresh air, Heath." The dwarf told his raptor friend.

"Al'ight but be quick about it," he snapped back.

_Perfect,_ thought Kate and she hid herself in the shadows waiting to bounce on her prey.

The dwarf came out and shut the door and walked down the hallway straight toward where Kate was hiding. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath while he slowly pulled out his sword. He heard someone moving around out here and was itching for a fight.

"Come on now," he said, "don't be scared. I won't even call fer back up."

_Shit,_ Kate thought and she, too, slowly took out her father's twin swords. Meanwhile, the dwarf turned his back on her hiding spot and Kate saw her opportunity. She jumped over the small guy and kicked him in the throat before he could even swing his sword.

"Agh," was the only response he could give. Kate had silenced him.

Kate was a graceful fighter when it came to using swords. She surprised the little guy a couple times and hit his shoulder which made a long red dash. He winced at the pain and then smiled when realized who he was fighting. It was the _girl. _

_Alright, _he thought, _time to stop playing._ He returned her surprise when ran across the wall ninja-like and sliced Kate's leg. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming in pain. She, too, unleashed her fury and talent as a sword fighter. Her father had made sure Kate could protect herself and paid famous sword teachers to teach Kate everything they knew. And Kate was a natural fighter, in two years time she was able to impress her teachers with her talent and grace.

The only noise that could be heard from the fight was the clashing of Kate's swords with the sword of the dwarf. Finally Kate decided to use the dwarf's weakness against him. Yes, the dwarf was strong and agile but only his sword gave him that power. Using a trick her father taught her she slid the swords in a unique fashion against his sword. The dwarf watched with wide eyes as his sword went flying into the darkness of the hallway. Kate then quickly used her uninjured leg to knock the dwarf unconscious.

She breathed a sigh of relief and took a handkerchief from her leather jacket and wrapped it around her leg wound. Taking a couple seconds to recover she leaned against the wall thinking about her next move. She now had the element of surprise.

When she opened the engine room door again this time Heath thought it was his returning friend. Boy was he wrong.

Kate ran and slid under the raptor's long legs grabbing the holster that carried the guns with her. Using her weight and all the strength she could summon she was able to pull Heath to the ground under her. Kate winced when she heard the crack of his head hitting the cold metal ground and looked over. His ear was bleeding. Either he was dead or unconscious. She did not care. Right now it was either kill or be killed and Kate did not want to be the latter.

She walked over to the engineer who had woken up in the middle of all the chaos. Loosening the bounds on the aging man she told him to stay with her.

He nodded and then said, "You killed him." He simply stated it looking at his dead captor.

"Would you rather still be tied up and then later blown up?" Kate asked him, now under the belly of the mechanics of the ship.

"Blown up?"

"Yeah," she answered through the clinking she was doing, "they are planning on blowing up the ship."

That silenced the man until curiosity got the better of him and he asked her, "What are you doing?!"

"Making sure that they don't end up doing what they want to do. I'm rigging the ship so they have to land on Montressor Space Port."'

"Smart," the graying man said clearly impressed.

"Okay, that should do it," she told the man looking at her work and whipping the oil off that was on her cheeks.

"Now what?" He asked as a siren went off.

She gave him a small smile. "Now you message up to the bridge and tell them that they need to land before all the energy dies."

"But can't the pirates just leave us through the longboats?"

She looked at him, her smile only brightening, when she remembered the research of the vessel she did before boarding. "There are no longboats on this vessel."

"Oh, right." The man was really impressed with the young woman standing next to him. He never had known women who could do these things.

He told the bridge what she said for him to say which was responded by an angry, "WH-What?!"

"And that's our cue to leave," Kate said grabbing the man's hand and running away from the engine room.

**A/N: Wow that was fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it!! ******

**Thanks to Wherever Girl and pottersparky for their reviews!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Four:**

Kate and the engineer ran down the hallways of the transport ship until Kate decided to knock on one of the doors.

"What are you doing?" The engineer asked incredulously.

"Trying to save you.., uh what's your name?"

"Paul," he answered and then said, "if there are people in there they ain't gonna open that door fearing that we may be pirates, you know?"

Kate didn't reply to him instead she screamed, "Help! Please! I can't find my little brother! Open the door, pleassse!" She pounded on the door.

Paul winced. He was wondering if the girl knocked herself on the head while she was fighting the pirates, when the door slowly creaked open.

"Okay, fine," a young male's voice responded from the other side of the door, "you don't have to be so loud." Fear showed in his voice.

"Sorry," Kate said a little too harshly, her leg was still hurting her. "Listen just let Paul, here, into your room so the pirates won't hurt him."

"Uh, sure."

The boy let the door open all the way and Paul scrambled inside but then looked back at Kate.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked concerned for the young woman's well being who just saved his life.

"No I have to get to the bridge," she said tightening the handkerchief around her leg wound.

"What?! Why? They will kill you." He stated staring at Kate with wide eyes.

"Don't worry about me," she replied looking up and down the hall, "just get inside, close the door and hang on to something."

And with that statement Kate was off running toward the stairs that lead to the deck and then to the bridge.

"Who was that?" The boy asked Paul.

Paul was staring after Kate with a shocked expression on his face. "I honestly have no idea."

*****************************************************************************

Silver thanked his lucky stars that he was still able to hide in the shadows well enough that young experienced pirates couldn't even see he was there. He was under the dark shadows of a stairwell listening to the lead pirate's orders through his enhanced hearing because of the cyborg in him. Listening for signs of any danger at all to Katharine. The only thing left of his dead best friend.

Silver finally decided to go back to see his close friend after two years of hiding out because of his face on the 'Wanted' posters. He wanted to tell his old friend that he finally lived the dream they have been searching for all their lives.

Treasure Planet.

But when Silver got there he only found a grave and Kayser's daughter in tears over her father's death.

No, Silver was not shocked at all to find out that Noah had put Silver down as Katharine's guardian if his death occurred before his time. Silver is, after all, Kate's Godfather.

A siren went off and Silver smiled.

Kate.

She pulled it off.

Wasn't surprising to Silver any more though, that girl was a fighter and stubborn. Just like her parents.

"WH-What?!" Silver heard the leading pirate scream, "Go find the girl before we are forced to land!"

He shouted orders to his crew. The pirate then started to pilot the ship back toward Montressor Space Port with a grim look on his face.

Silver gave a low chuckle. Foolish man. Silver suddenly looked up at the sound of soft running footsteps headed towards the stairwell. He got his pistol ready and was about to shoot when he realized who his target was.

"Katharine!" Silver softly yelled her name so only she would hear it.

She looked at Silver and her face flooded with relief. Walking slowly toward his hiding place she collapsed beside him.

Silver looked down at her first bemused because she just sat down next to him without a fight. But then he noticed how pale her face was and that her eyes were closed. Silver started to worry.

"Katie," he said gently, "is there somethin' you need to tell me?"

"Nope," she said her voice finally showing the pain, "just show." And she pointed at her leg.

Her khaki pants were now soaked in blood and her handkerchief was now completely useless. The slash the dwarf gave her cut down, almost to the bone, from right below her right hip to just below her knee.

"Ah, girlie whatcha gone and do tha' fer?" Silver asked her his voice gentle and full of concern as he bent down to examine her wound.

"It's not like I meant to do it," her voice was barely a whisper and Silver knew that her blood loss combined with the exertion she put herself through was getting to her.

"You gotta hang in there, Katie, we should be at the Space Port soon," he told her. He leaned her back against the wall and her head fell on his shoulder.

"Katie?" He asked her.

"…"

When Silver didn't get a response he gently shook her shoulders. She was unconscious.

"Damnit, Kate," he said and he checked her pulse and immediately relaxed when he felt the slow, faint rhythm of her beating heart.

Silver took off his jacket and wrapped it around Kate and then waited for the vessel to land so she could get some help before it was too late.

************************************************************************************

Captain James Hawkins and the other fellow Captains that got permission to board the vessel as soon as it landed waited on the docks.

This was Jim's first mission since he graduated from the Academy those long months ago. And needless to say he was anxious and nervous. Morph was too. He was bouncing around all over the place back in the briefing room that Jim had to calm him down. He gave Morph a choice. Either stay and wait for Jim to come back. Or to move quickly around the vessel to search for passengers that needed immediate care. Of course, Morph chose the latter.

Since Silver gave Morph to Jim to look after, Morph has never left his side. Jim smiled at his pink friend who was now big-eyed looking in the skies for the vessel.

"Everybody listen up," Commander Volker shouted to the Captains as a small vessel was visible on the horizon. Morph started to get jumpy again.

"Calm down, Morphy," instructed Jim and Morph stopped his jumping around and gave a little salute to Jim. Jim laughed.

"Your mission is simple," Commander Volker continued, "subdue any pirates you come across but your priority is to get the civilians off the vessel as soon as possible."

Volker looked around at all the Captains' faces then grimly looked up at the incoming vessel growing larger as it came into view.

"I'm I understood?" Volker asked them.

"Yes, sir," Jim and rest of the Captains answered together.

"Good," Volker responded, "now any injured passenger goes straight to Montressor, no exceptions."

"Yes, sir."

"There are boats ready to take them down," Volker said, "and good luck Captains."

And with that comment Volker left them to go observe from a higher level dock. He hated this. Watching young, good people risk their lives to save others in a war against greed. He sighed and unconsciously put his hand over a scar that was made by the greediest pirate of them all.

*********************************************************************************

Silver had just finished up wrapping his scraps of cloths around Kate's wounded leg when he heard the thrusters of the ship slowing down. A tall tell sign that the ship was about to land.

"Al'ight boys," he heard the leading pirate snarl, "use any distraction possible to get off this heap of a ship. We will rendezvous later."

For once Silver was glad he wasn't part of a pirating crew anymore. He was getting too old for that. Running away from officials. Using any distraction possible to make his escape. Only thinking of himself.

He sighed and looked at Kate. But trading that life for this one still obtained to those same rules.

Instead of officials and cops chasing him it was pirates. Those very people he had lived with and known for all his life. He shook his head. Silver could not believe it had come to this. Even pirates have laws, codes that he dared not to breech himself as a pirate. Now those rules were broken freely. Whatever happened to the respect of a dead pirate's wishes?

But then Silver looked back over his determination to find Flint's gold. If a girl like Kate stood in his way between him and achieving what his dreams of riches would he be any different than these pirates?

Yes.

Silver had already proven that. Jim Hawkins was in his way to get to Flint's gold. And, yeah, he used the boy a bit, Silver had to admit. But in the end he chose the boy's life over his greed…his dream.

Kate had the same burning fire in her as Jimbo had. Silver couldn't destroy that kind of flame.

"Aye boys, pistols ready!" Commanded a voice.

The docks were in view which means it's time to move. Silver knew that were Montessor's finest standing guard on the docks the ship was landing. All he had to do was find a safe place to shield Kate from harmful eyes until the violence seized. Grunting as he gently picked up Kate he found a big enough closet to protect her. He gently laid her down so that her head was supported and her leg did not worsen. He shut the door and sat back down in his darkened stairwell listening to ongoing battle ensue and waiting for help to arrive.

A few minutes have passed and the only thing Silver has heard were noises of gunshots bouncing off the walls of the small transport ship. He wished he could have Kate by him, just in case her condition worsened but it was safer for her to be hidden, with all of the pirates around. Silver laughed at the irony.

_I am a pirate;_ he thought and chocked back a laugh.

And he couldn't fit in the closet with her; with all the bulky machinery attached to him he knew he would get stuck. Besides that, he had to stay in the open and wait for help to arrive. Or wait till' the coast was clear and take Kate and run.

Silver looked down at his mechanical leg and shook his head.

_Ha, run! _ He thought. _That is going to be fun especially with carrying Kate._

Noticing that his leg could use some tightening up; Silver started to pull at the knob. Then he noticed an out of place wrench floating in front of him. Wait, floating?

"Great Heavens!" Silver screamed in shock and then quickly recovered when he realized the truth.

"Morphy!" He greeted the blob, grabbing his old friend and tickling him. "How long has it been, huh?"

Morph squealed in delight at the sight and his old friend and Captain. Cooing as he embraced Silver's cheek.

"Now," he said looking at the pink blob, "where's Jimbo?"

"Jimbo" was in the middle of the ongoing chaos that was the clash of greedy pirates versus the team of Captains who were winning. Only by forfeit though. The pirates were using the battle as a distraction to flee. Jim knew this and did not care. The only thing that mattered was to make sure the passengers got off the ship safely.

Looking around on the deck off the ship, Jim noticed only a few pirates with cuffs around their wrists being dragged off by a Captain. Nobody was hurt too severely on both sides. The worse of it was probably Jim's cut that he got from fighting a sword fighting dwarf.

"Damn," he growled. Jim hated the fact that he got away.

Jim was going off the ship to make a report on the red-haired pirate when he was suddenly being slowly pulled back by the collar of his shirt. He laughed.

"I'm okay Morph," he reassured the blob thinking that was what his friend wanted to know. Jim was taken by surprise when Morph suddenly came right up in front of his face.

"What?!" He asked incredulously.

Morph than turned into a red flag waving himself around. Jim knew this meant an emergency.

"Okay..," he told the blob then Morph shaped into a little Silver and started bouncing up and down. Jim's heart stopped. The last time he every saw or spoke to the old pirate was when he was helping him escape.

Silver? Here?!

Impossible.

"Where?" He commanded Morph. And Morph lead the way as Jim followed, his heart racing.

**A/N: Again I hoped you enjoyed the story so far!! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Five:**

Jim was lead down a stairwell by Morph and then he took a sharp left and there stood John Silver. Jim's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it. After four years of nothing from Silver there he was only a foot away from him. Silver looked older than Jim remembered. He had a few more wrinkles and with his pirate jacket gone Silver looked out of place. His pants also had pieces missing from them; like Silver ripped them off for some purpose.

Silver smiled upon seeing the boy…no man. Jim had grown a lot since he last saw him but he still saw that same stubborn teenager look in his eyes.

"Aye, Jimbo, it's been awhile. Look at ya!" Silver bellowed. "All grown up and a Captain, of course."

"How ya been, ye old scallywag?" Jim asked also smiling.

"Oh, I've had me better days," Silver said slapping Jim on the shoulder. "Looks like you took fine care there of Morphy for me." Silver told Jim nodding at the pink blur buzzing around the pair.

Jim laughed. "Oh, yeah but let me tell ya he's been a handful," he told Silver not so seriously. Silver laughed along with him. "What are you doing here Silver?"

Silver looked at Jim. "Ah, right down to business as usual, Jimbo." He smiled. "I'm in a bit of trouble here and I was actually coming here to talk ya into helping me out."

Jim looked curiously at Silver. "What's going on? Nothing illegal right?" He asked making sure.

"No, no…nothing like tha' Jim. I wouldn't get ya involved in that, never." Silver replied.

Jim nodded at him. "Then what is it?"

"Oh, well I need yer help in protecting somethin' dear to me heart." Silver confessed to Jim.

Jim chuckled lightly. "A treasure map?"

Silver gave a small smile. "Nah, I'm not tha' greedy. No, I'm talkin' bout a _person._"

Now Jim was really curious and he looked at Silver skeptically. "Really?"

Silver let out a sigh. "'Kay I'll just have to show ya." He told Jim walking over to the closet. Opening the door he heard a pistol getting charged.

"Aye! Katie it's just me!" He told the girl lying on the floor of the closet.

She looked at him fiercely, her dark eyes flashing as she lowered her pistol. Jim gaped. Silver really was protecting someone other than himself or his treasure. Then again, he wasn't really too surprised because Silver ended up saving his life instead of going after gold. But still…Jim never thought Silver was capable of doing that again.

After Jim got over his recovery of the situation he took assessment of the girl in the closet. She was beautiful, he realized. Her auburn hair was in light curls that framed her dark brown eyes as she studied Silver. But then Jim noticed her bloody leg and scolded himself for being so shallow by assessing the girl's looks before her injuries.

"You. Put. Me. In. A. Closet." She stated glaring at Silver.

"You passed out Katie, and even were tha' not the case I would hav' put ya in there anyway. Nobody would have expected to find yer there." Silver explained. "How ya feeling?"

"Fine," the girl answered while tightening the pieces of cloth Silver must have given her.

"Liar." He accused the girl while looking at Jim rolling his eyes.

"No I am not," she told him, "it's just a harmless flesh wound."

Jim and Silver both chuckled lightly at this statement because Kate's wound was so obviously nothing minor.

She turned to glare at them and then noticing that there was a 'them' she quickly pulled out her pistol again and Jim brought his hands up in surrender.

"Katharine! Put that damn thing down. He's here to help." Silver explained again.

She raised an eyebrow still not lowering her pistol. "How..," she was cut off by Morph flying into the closet squealing.

Jim watched in amazement as she lowered her weapon and her face softened at the pink blob.

Then he totally went into shock when she exclaimed, "Morph!" and cuddled the little guy into an embrace.

"Silver...," Jim said looking at the old pirate unanswered questions crossing across his face. Silver wasn't looking at Jim. Silver was looking at Kate with a concerned, compassionate look on his face.

"I haven't seen you in years, Morphy! Whatcha doing here?" she asked Morph and then looked at Silver with questions also crossing her face.

Silver looked back at Jim and then back at Kate and shrugged his shoulders.

"Al'ight, Captain James Hawkins meet Katharine Kayser. Kate this is Jimbo." Silver gave quick introductions.

Comprehension dawned on both of their faces. Kate looked at Jim carefully for the first time. He definitely looked like a Captain nothing like the boy Silver described in his stories. He wore the Captain's jacket and boots which made his features look more ragged and handsome. _Damn, _thought Kate. His dark blue eyes widened at the familiarity of her name.

"Katharine Kayser!?" he exclaimed looking at Silver. "_You_ are her Godfather?"

"Oh, so ya heard the story now did ya?" Silver said smiling a bit. "I like it a bit now tha' I am being talked up instead of down ya..,"

"Yeah, that's great and all, Silver but we should really be getting out of here." Kate told them both while failing at trying to stand up.

Silver chuckled. "Darlin' if ya think yer gonna get out of the ship movin' like tha' then yer more stubborn than Jimbo here." Silver told her shaking his head.

Kate and Jim both glared at him. "Hey, now! I'm just speakin' the truth is all." Silver explained himself.

"I'm fine." Kate stated again now leaning up against the wall for support.

Silver ignored her and looked at Jim. "Can ya get us out of here without being spotted?" He asked Jim.

Jim shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe if we blend well into the crowd of passengers."

"Well, how do we do tha'?" Silver asked no one in particular.

Kate huffed and they both looked at her. She rolled her eyes and hopped to the other side of the hallway and pulled an alarm that started a siren throughout the ship. They all heard the passengers bust out of their rooms and starting for the stairs. Kate raised an eyebrow and gave a smug look.

"Smooth Kate, but if ya still are thinking tha' you can jus' hop right on off of this here ship, you 'ave got to be kiddin' me." Silver told her.

"And if you think you can carry me out of here, you're kidding yourself." She told Silver looking him over with the same expression on her face.

Silver chuckled at her. "Oh, me? Nah, I was thinkin' Jim could do tha' chore for me."

"Excuse me?!" Jim and Kate both said together and then looked at each other.

Silver burst into laughter. "Wow, you two are more alike than I was thinkin'." He said between his bursts of laughter. "Oh, come on, neither of ya bite. And besides Jimbo you're a Captain help out this injured passenger. And Kate don't act too proud."

Silver turned and started walking away with the rest of the crowd, Morph following behind him. Before Kate could even turn her glance back toward Jim, she was already being swooped up.

"Hey..," Kate said in surprise at the sudden action of being lifted off the ground. She began to struggle a bit but Jim only held her tighter. She was wearing Silver's jacket which was huge on her and it only made it harder for him to keep his hold on the girl.

"Cut that out," he told Kate, "Silver's right and you know it. Now if you keep struggling it's just gonna be more painful on your leg."

She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest not wanting to awkwardly wrap them around Jim's neck. Jim was stubbornly looking straight ahead so Kate couldn't get a read on the guy. But then she noticed something warm on her fingers and looked down.

Blood! But where did it come from?

She started squirming around in Jim's arms trying to find the source because she knew it wasn't from her leg. She haven't even touched enough for that amount of blood on her fingers.

Kate was really starting to piss off Jim. He is just trying to help her out and she won't stop moving around. Deciding not to take it anymore he looked down at the girl and started to say, "What is..," angrily but stopped when he noticed her eyes looking right into his. The expression on her face caused Jim's stomach to ache she looked worried and in pain.

"Sorry," she said softly, "you're bleeding." She told Jim looking at the cut on his chest. He finally realized why she shuffling so much. Kate found blood on her hand and was trying to find its source.

Jim gave her a small smile. "Oh yeah, I got in a fight with a sword fighting dwarf pirate before I met up with Silver." He told her looking straight ahead again. When he didn't get a response Jim figured that she didn't believe him so he went on explaining, "I know it's hard to believe..," he was about to go on some more but Kate cut him off.

"Flaming red hair?" She asked him her voice monotone.

Jim gaped at her and she returned his smile from before. She pointed to her leg and said, "The workings of a crazy, red-haired dwarf."

Jim chuckled a little. "Oh, well I'm glad I'm not the only one who witnessed that pirate."

"What?" She asked him looking a little mad. "You let him get away?!"

Jim glared at her; that comment hit a sore spot. It's not he let the pirate go. "Hey! The guy was slippery and besides the priority was to get the passengers," he gave her a look, "off safely. And by the looks of it you let him go too!" He argued back.

"Whoa, at least I was able to knock him unconscious," Kate retorted crossing her arms again.

Jim was breathing heavily now and it wasn't because he was carrying Kate. No, he was angry. "Look if you wanted the little guy in handcuffs, how come you didn't make sure he was out?"

"Because I was too busy making sure the ship would land on Montressor Space Port instead of God knows where!" She was angry now too. Captain Hawkins let the pirate get away which meant that he would be back to find Kate and probably extract revenge.

"That was you?!" Jim was shocked. So she was the reason the vessel headed back toward Montressor.

"What was me?" Kate asked now confused creating a little wrinkle in between her eyes.

"You made the ship turn around. How?" Jim was fascinated by Kate now. He kept telling himself it wasn't because he kept getting lost in her dark eyes..; no it was only because she was able to bring the vessel back single-handedly.

Kate heard the impression in Jim's voice and her anger started to diminish. "I just rigged the ship so they wouldn't have enough energy to get anywhere but here. Simple." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, right," was Jim's only response. When they got outside there were boats labeled of different locations of where they were headed too. Jim automatically went to the boat that said Benbow, Montressor completely forgetting about the person in his arms.

"Whoa, stop!" Kate told him but Jim just kept on walking. "Will you stop?!" She cried at him and Jim looked down at her with his expression telling her 'I know what I'm doing.'

"Arrogant," she said under her breath but Jim caught it. He pretended to adjust her weight so that her leg would be more pressed against his right arm. He heard her sharp intake of breath probably from the pain of her leg. Jim smiled to himself knowing that she was too stubborn to say anything about it.

"Calm down, will you." Jim finally told her, "I see Silver."

Silver was standing in the boat looking at the incoming pair. He noticed Kate's arms crossed and Jim's look of irritation. Silver shook his head and smiled. _This is going to be interesting, _he was thinking. Jim carried Kate toward Silver and then dropped her roughly into a sit next to him. Kate scowled and propped her leg up on a bench to examine her wound.

"I need to go make a report," Jim told Silver and walked off the boat.

"So..," Silver turned toward Kate with his eyebrows raised, "did you guys play nice?"

Kate gave Silver an annoyed look which caused Silver to chuckle and then she returned to her wound covering her face with her curtains of auburn hair. Silver was unaware of her blushing as she thought back to Captain Hawkins' tanned handsome features but then her embarrassment turned to anger as she thought about his stubbornness and arrogance. _Stupid Captain, _she thought angrily.

_Stubborn brat,_ Jim Hawkins was thinking while typing in his description of the dwarf. Although he couldn't really consider her as brat with everything that has happened to her. She was just unreasonably stubborn, irrational…

Jim's thoughts were interrupted by Commander Volker placing his hand on Jim's shoulder and saying, "Captain Hawkins, your reputation precedes you and your actions today prove what a valuable asset you are to ILE but if you keep pressing the reporting screen that hard you are going to break something."

_Wow was I really that angry,_ Jim thought.

"Sorry, sir," Jim apologized to Volker, "my mind was wondering on me." Volker laughed.

"Oh, don't worry about it Captain, you did an excellent job today." Volker shook hands with Jim and smiled. "Please go home and relax, you deserve it."

"Thank you, sir."

Jim watched Volker walk away and felt himself relax. Knowing that he did a good job he walked back to the boat smiling slightly and sat down next to Silver. Morph turned into a Captain's hat and sat on Jim's head. Jim tipped the Morph hat down over his eyes still smirking as the boat launched off heading for Benbow.

"Jimbo," Silver said, "what happened to make ya smirk like tha'?"

"Nothing happened, Silver, nothing at all," Jim smirked at him.

"But something will," Kate said darkly; looking out of the boat.

Jim reluctantly looked over at Kate curious when Silver asked, "What is it Katie?"

She turned her head and locked her dark eyes with Jim's blue ones.

"What's going to happen when your family sees Silver, again?" She asked looking concerned.

**A/N: Yay!! Silver and Jim together again!! Thanks to OMGitsEMILY for her review. By the way I have been reading your story and I like it! Keep it up!**

**Also, thanks to Earthenfist for the review. I really appreciate your comments. I know I have issues with my tenses and believe me; it bugs me to ****no**** end too. I will try to stop but no promises.**

**I apologize because this may be my final update for awhile because of college and other stuff I have going on but don't worry I will continue this story. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Six:**

Jim couldn't seem to get away from Kate's dark eyes. He was drowning in them and he didn't know how to stop himself from staring. It wasn't until the Captain of the boat announced that they have landed that he finally snapped out of it. Kate was locked onto Jim but her face was contorted between an all-knowing smirk and concern for the question she had asked.

_She's evil_, Jim was thinking. No other women had ever affected him this way before. And he had been with more attractive women before.

"I honestly don't know," Jim replied finally tearing his glaze from Kate, "just be prepared."

"Well," Silver intervened, "if I know the Cap'n like I think I do she probably resents me a bit fer takin' off like I did." Silver mused this over.

"Even if that is so," Kate started, "Amelia ain't the type to shoot first and ask questions later." Kate seemed confident in her assessment but Jim wasn't so sure. Amelia had settled down since Kate had probably seen her last and Jim knew for sure that if Amelia thought there was any danger to her children she _will_ shoot first.

Jim shook his head and looked at Silver. "I think it's probably better if Kate and I go in first and explain things."

Kate eyes slightly widened at this proposal. She was never too keen on separating herself from Silver especially now since she sort of couldn't stand let alone walk without falling down. She felt a little weak. Kate hated that vulnerable feeling.

Silver observed Kate's obvious worry over this idea and tried to comfort her. "Katie," she looked at him concerned, "now don't cha worry. Yer safe fer the moment and I trust Jim that's all ya need to know."

Kate only nodded at him. Silver turned around to look at Jim. "Make sure her leg gets a look at and try to prepare the Cap'n 'cause I am pretty sure this ain't gonna go smoothly." Jim gave a small nod of understanding and watched Silver leave to go wait for his signal to enter the Inn.

Jim turned back to look at Kate who was looking out toward the homey Inn; Jim heard her sigh.

"I'm sorry," it was a gentle whisper and Jim barely heard it.

"For what?" he asked entirely confused and intrigued.

"We cannot stay long. So I am sorry your seeing Silver again has to be cut so short." She was still staring out the window toward Sarah Hawkins' Inn. Jim didn't know what to say. He had no idea what was going to happen but knowing that he may not see or talk to Silver again for another couple of years, hurt. Why did Kate get to stay by his side? _Because she needs his protection_, a quiet thought escaped from Jim.

"Don't worry about..," his response was cut short by Kate.

"Me, being here is also dangerous," she said simply, "I am risking your life and your family's lives just by being here. So please don't tell me not 'to worry' because when I do or don't something always happens, anyways." She sounded sad even though that last statement was meant to sound harsh.

"Look I'm not questioning you," he told her simply, "I'm just saying that, right now, the only thing to worry about is your leg. We can figure the rest out in the morning." Jim suddenly stood up and picked Kate up again expect this time there were no surprises just a mean glare Kate was giving him.

"You don't understand," she slowly shook her head. "This does not involve you or anybody else."

Jim shot a menacing glance at Kate. He couldn't believe how selfish she was being. And how rude and ignorant she was acting.

"So let me get this straight before we go inside," he said in a harsh sarcastic tone, "you are actually stupid enough to not accept help from other people and rude enough to insult somebody who actually did help you without showing a speck of gratitude." The more furious Jim got the faster he was walking toward the Inn. "And you are selfish for only allowing Silver to help therefore putting the entire burden of your safety on one person." Jim shook his head. "I may not understand but I know a bad situation when I see one."

He finally looked down at Kate after his long speech and saw something that he never expected to have seen from the girl…tears. He was about to speak again but Kate had heard enough from him decided to take the opportunity to kick open the Benbow Inn's door, at which they had arrived at during the middle of Jim's speech.

Jim was speechless of Kate's actions but walked into his mother's Inn nevertheless. He did not really care about the door being kicked in because the Inn's food service was closed for night and the only people there were his family. Delbert was in the middle of eating his usual meal when he saw Jim carry in a girl through the door; he nearly lost the food in his mouth. Amelia just calmly looked over to assess the situation and then her eyes widened when she noticed Kate. Jim's mother and B.E.N. were finishing up in the kitchen and did not notice Jim and Kate's dramatic entrance.

Amelia stood up and asked, "What happened, Jim?" A knowing tone in her voice.

"I'll explain in a minute," Jim told her rushing to a nearby table big enough for Kate to lie on, "right now she needs immediate medical care." Jim gently placed Kate down on the table and Amelia started to cut off Silver bandages that secured her leg.

"Delbert I am going to need some assistance," Amelia calmly told her husband who was still open-mouthed staring from Jim to the bleeding girl on the table. Jim was staring at Kate's face trying to get a response from her from the conversation they were having before but she was stubbornly looking up at the ceiling. He finally snapped out of it when he noticed her face wince in pain. Jim looked at Delbert.

"Doppler, help out your wife." He simply commanded. Delbert swallowed and hastily stood up and walked over to his wife. Jim took that opportunity to walk into the kitchen to grab water, towels and anything else that may be needed.

"Jim, what is going on?!" His mother was standing behind him while he was gathering towels and hot water.

"Listen, mom, you have to trust me," Jim turned around to face her, "I rescued a girl from a pirate commandeered ship today and she has a severe wound on her leg. I need you to go in there and help her out she is going to need some support."

Sarah Hawkins took all of this in and blinked at her son. "Why wouldn't I trust you?"

"Because," Jim sighed deeply, "the person that was protecting the girl, is an old friend of mine."

Sarah raised her eyebrows, "Okay," she said waiting for him to continue.

"Well, he's a pirate." Jim looked down at the floor.

"Jim, what pirate are you..," she trailed off when realization hit her. She stared off blankly thinking what Jim had said through.

"I trust you, Jim," she stated, "and if you trust this guy than I trust this guy."

Jim looked up at his mother and hugged her. "When did you put so much trust in me?"

"After you met this pirate." She gave Jim a searching look, "Just promise me that you won't get hurt."

"I promise," Jim told her knowing that there was no way he could really keep the promise; but giving his mom sanity about his safety was worth lying to her. Sarah Hawkins took the materials her son had gathered and left to help Delbert and Amelia. Jim sighed and looked out the kitchen window finally alone with his thoughts. At least, he knew his mother would come to his side concerning Silver. But Kate's words were still haunting him.

'_We cannot stay long. Me, being here is also dangerous, I am risking your life and your family's lives just by being here.'_

Jim started to think over the article Amelia was looking at. Maybe, Katharine Kayser's life is really that chaotic and dangerous and she was just trying to protect Jim and his family. Jim punched the wall cursing himself for assuming something that wasn't true, at all.

"Whoa, Jimmy don't hurt yourself!" B.E.N. rushed into the kitchen from the back door. "What's going on Jimmy?"

"Long story," Jim replied leaning his against the cool wall where he had just slammed his hand into.

"Well, do you mind explaining to me why your old pal Silver is coming in right behind me?"

"Oh, yeah," Jim stood up and ran his hand through his hair looking up at Silver and B.E.N. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier but, something's come up."

"That involves a wanted man?!" B.E.N. exclaimed looking between the old pirate and the new Captain.

"Hey! I would hav' ya know tha' I am no longer a wanted man." Silver proudly exclaimed to the robot his head held high. "Anywho… Jimbo where's Katie?"

Jim pointed to the kitchen doors now leaning up against the wall he just had punched. "Out there being examined by Amelia and Doppler."

"I'm guessin' ya didn't tell them, did ya?" Silver asked eyeing the young man.

"Nope, haven't got the chance to and besides Kate is in a more dire need of medical attention than to be explaining you being here. My mom knows though." Jim confessed. "And I have been meaning to ask, how exactly are you free, Silver?"

Silver's face softened and he sat down on one of the kitchen stools. "Ah, Kate did that fer me. She has connections ya know, well her father's connections, and she can be pretty cunning when the situation needs her to be."

"Okay, but how?" Jim asked still dumbfounded.

"Oh, well, I didn't bother askin' her." Silver answered as he drifted off into thought and then stood up. "I better be gettin' out there. Might as well get the yellin' over wit'."

Jim and B.E.N. quickly followed Silver out the kitchen door and straight to Kate's side. She had a wet cloth on her forehead thanks to Jim's mother and Kate's face looked unnaturally pale. Jim was actually shocked that she had not yet passed out from blood loss. Silver took her hand and gave it a little squeeze noticing her discomfort and pain written on her face. Her eyes blinked toward him in gratitude. Amelia was so immersed in sewing up Kate's leg that she didn't see this exchange but she did hear Delbert's gasp and incoherent mumblings from behind her. Amelia paused in her work and looked up. Silver noticed this and decided to put his defense in before she could start in for the kill.

"Thanks Cap'n fer takin' care of Katie fer me; I was never really good at being a good doc." Silver told Amelia still staring a Kate's face which was now turned so she could see Amelia's reaction.

Then there was silence as everybody in the room waited for Amelia's response to Silver's presence. Several emotions played across her face as she was thinking through the necessary response to give the old cyborg that stood half a foot away from her. Amelia even considered charging up her pistol and threatening to kill the pirate unless he left the planet. But, then, Amelia noticed Kate's hand curled around the paw of the cyborg she was about to threaten and she decided that it was probably not the best move to make. So she visibly relaxed and directed a question toward Kate as she started to resume her work on Kate's leg, "It does make sense that your father would have trusted this cyborg enough to make him your Godfather; but do you trust him?"

Kate gave Amelia a tense smile and simply nodded as she winced when another shot of pain echoed through her body. Silver felt Kate's grip tighten and looked at Amelia to direct a question at her.

"Is there anythin' ya can do fer the pain?"

"Sorry, this is not a hospital ward," Amelia told him, "but it would easier for her if she would just fall asleep instead of fighting it." She turned from her work to give Kate a stern, concerned look. Silver mimicked Amelia's look toward Kate, as well, and Kate looked at them both and gave a short laugh.

"Oh, I'm scared," she told them rolling her eyes, "but really you guys worry too much, and I am fine." Kate told them through gritted teeth and made both Silver and Amelia sigh in exasperation toward the sarcastic girl. "But you know what is getting really annoying?" She asked them.

"The bleeding girl on the table who won't listen to directions." Amelia retorted to her.

"Awww look who learned sarcasm," Kate giggled along with the other people in the room which caused her to look around, "but, no, it's being watched by people you hardly know while your leg is being sewn up and your pants are ripped almost completely off and…oww." Kate ended her sarcastic comment when another dose of pain shot through her body.

"Well, Katie if yer embarrassed then just fall asleep like yer body is tellin' ya to do and it won't be an issue," Silver told her sternly. Kate's response to his comment was her sticking out her tongue at him and then she sighed. Kate finally decided to let her eyelids close and to let herself drift into darkness.

"I can see that her stubbornness is still there," Amelia noted, "how is she doing?" Amelia looked up at Silver waiting for an answer.

"You know Kate, I assume considerin' ya were her mentor at the Academy, she's a hard one to break." Silver told her, his face hardening.

Amelia only nodded, "Obviously because of her parents," she mumbled and was about to say something else when her husband interrupted her.

"Can somebody please explain to me what is going on?" Delbert asked incredulously looking around from his wife to Silver to Jim who had come to sit down next to him.

"Delbert, dear," Amelia said tensely, "meet Katharine Kayser and her Godfather." Amelia nodded from Kate to Silver while still holding her concentration on Kate's leg.

"Yeah, I got that, just what are they doing _here_?" He asked with a little panic added to his voice.

"I would actually like to know the same." Mrs. Hawkins said under her breath.

"I would ask Captain Hawkins for an answer," Amelia gave her input.

Mrs. Hawkins, Delbert, and B.E.N. all looked at Jim for their answers to the questions tormenting their minds. Jim told them what happened from the pirate commandeered ship to walking into the Benbow Inn with Kate in his arms. He left out the part where he made her cry because he already felt bad enough about that.

In the middle of his recounting of what happened Amelia had finished her work on Kate's leg and bandaged her up. Silver was looking like he could pass out any minute along with Jim, Delbert, Amelia, and Sarah Hawkins. B.E.N. on the other hand was so wound up that Jim ultimately threatened to take away his memory again if he didn't settle down.

"Sorry Jimmy but this has been the most interesting, dramatic thing that has happened to us since Treasure Planet!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's what I am worried about," Amelia said tiredly.

"Don't y'all worry 'bout it," Silver simply stated, "me and Kate will be outta here by tomorrow night."

"No." Amelia and Jim both stated at the same time. Jim may have come to understand what Kate had told him earlier but it didn't mean that he thought her decision to be right. Silver and Kate both needed more help than they are willing to ask for and Jim wanted to help.

Silver looked confused at Amelia's outburst; sure he understood Jim and why he was going to fight this but the Cap'n? "Gonna throw me in prison are ya?" He asked Amelia, positive that was her reason for refusing to let him and Kate leave.

"Of course not, I just think that Kate needs to take a break." Amelia stated simply.

Everybody in the room was shocked and speechless at Amelia's proposal; but Silver was the first one to recover. "O'course she does," he stated rather loudly, "but I think yer forgettin' the hundreds of pirates who are after her. Don't cha realize you will be puttin' yer own children at risk?"

Amelia winced at this and so did Delbert. "How did you know we had children?" Delbert asked Silver curious.

"Oh, I saw some kiddie pictures on the fridge back there," Silver pointed back toward the kitchen, "and they drew pictures of their mama and papa." Silver chuckled.

"Of course I realize the danger to my children just as much as Kayser did when he placed Kate in your…care." Amelia finished the sentence with a questionable look on her face, which Silver returned with a scowl. "Not that you haven't done a good job," she quickly recovered, "she is still alive and safe for the time being."

"Erm...thanks," Silver told her trying to maintain his eyes from closing shut. "Look how 'bout we discuss this in the morning when we are all a little more awake." He suggested looking at Kate and then towards the stairs wondering how he was going to get her into a bed.

"Fine suggestion," Amelia commented standing up to stretch, "I'm guessing we'll be safe for tonight, at least."

"Okay," Sarah Hawkins said unsure of what had just happened still but she adjusted, "I will go set up a room for you and Kate both, upstairs."

"Thank ya, ma'm," Silver said politely, "and Jimbo would ya mind takin' Kate to her bed?" Silver turned to look at Jim who grimaced at the last memory he had of taking Kate somewhere. Silver caught his grimace and raised a brow to which Jim just shook his head and went to Kate's side. _Well, at least she is unconscious,_ Jim thought to himself looking down at the crippled girl.

Jim gently picked up Kate trying his best to not undo the work Amelia did on her leg and carried her up the stairs and into the room where his mother was just finishing up. She smiled at her son as he laid Kate down on the bed and covered her with blankets.

"You know Kate is very beautiful," Jim's mother told him while she wiped Kate's hair out of her face. "And from what Amelia has told me..," Jim cut off his mother.

"What are you getting at?" He asked her a little tense.

"Nothing," she shook her head smirking. "Goodnight my little solar surfer."

Jim chuckled a little and kissed his mother on the cheek and went to get ready for bed. Sarah Hawkins shook her head and looked down at Kate's sleeping form. Sarah was thinking about what would have happened to her son if she had died. Kate is luckier than she will probably admit; at least she had a father there for her. _Jim would have been all alone,_ she thought sadly.

**A/N: Again, a thanks and a shout out to pottersparky and OMGitsEMILY for their reviews on my story. Thanks guys!!**

**Please review!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Seven:**

Kate winced when she felt the first wave of pain radiate toward her from her leg.

_Well, at least I still have a leg,_ she thought sarcastically.

She shifted a little on a spacious bed that she was laying on and then she suddenly realized that she should not be on a bed at all. Her and Silver had to move. Now. In order to make sure innocents were not killed.

_No,_ she thought sadly, _not again._

She slowly sat up to assess her leg and how much she can move with minimal pain. Then she heard it. Silver's light snoring coming from the bed beside hers.

_Perfect, now we can both get out of here hopefully without being spotted, _she thought smiling.

Kate carefully moved away the blankets and tested her leg by slowly standing up and putting a little weight on it. Nothing. Kate found that she was able to limp around the room the only problem was that she caused too much noise and Silver, being the light sleeper that he was, woke up.

"Oi! Wha's a goin' on?" Silver slurred waking up. "Katie?"

Silver questioned the dark shadow who was now trying to carefully put on a pair of pants she found by her bed. Silver shook his head and looked out the window. The sun was just beginning to rise. Silver knew Kate was just getting ready to make a run for it and somehow he had to convince her that it was alright to stay here. Silver grimaced knowing that Kate was going to hate him for a little bit.

"Good, you're up, so get a move on," Kate commanded Silver getting into their routine of running off before people could ask questions.

"Uh, lass, hold off on gettin' dressed there fer a minute and let me explain some things to ya," Silver told Kate. She looked back at him incredulously wondering why he was straying from the routine.

"There has been a change of plans," Silver started.

"What?!" Kate was astounded. "You can't just decide to stay here just because you have a fatherly connection to the boy, if anything that should convince you to go. So get up and..," Kate stubbornly started but was cut off by Silver.

"Jim's not the reason we're stayin', lass," Silver told her gently.

Kate gave him a disbelieving look but sat down on her bed anyways to listen to what Silver had to say.

"After ya fell asleep I got a talkin' to Amelia," Silver told her and Kate sighed. "Cap'n thinks tha' we can be safe here fer 'bout a week or so while they prepare a ship fer us." Kate's eyes widened.

"What?" Kate asked him in disbelief.

"Yeah tha's wha' I said," Silver chuckled, "but seriously lass, the Cap'n really likes ya and doesn't wanna see ya get hurt so she called up the ILE and established some sort o' protectin' service fer you."

"Wow," Kate was stunned. Never before had somebody besides Silver had risked their lives, knowing the risks, for her.

"She knows the danger her and her family will be in if she does this, right?" Kate asked Silver.

Silver nodded. "Yeah and she has discussed her proposal with Jim and the others and they hav' all agreed. Jim's actually given us his ship of captaincy fer it. O'course he won't be Captain anymor' but he wan's to help."

Kate wasn't quite sure why Jim wasn't going to be Captain of his own ship anymore but she didn't care. They were finally going to end this once and for all. And with the ILE's help, hopefully this will be a safer voyage than her last few with Silver.

"Wait. Who's going to be Captain? Don't tell me it's going to be you?" She looked at Silver and he laughed.

"No it ain't me. Cap'n gonna do it. I'm the cook," Silver said proudly and Kate gave him a small smile. Oh, the little things in life.

"So I'm just going to be stuck in my little room on the ship, I suppose," Kate said harshly, "out of sight, right?"

"Out o' sight, yes," Silver answered for her, "but no ya won't be stuck in yer room."

Kate raised her eyebrows. "You better not be joking me around Silver," she threatened.

"No, I ain't! You will be one o' the mechanics on the boat. There is a nice separate space fer ya and Jim even told me tha' there is a hidey-hole," Silver told her grinning and then laughed when he saw the expression on her face as pure confusion.

"Oh, Katie," Silver told her in between gasps of laughter, "ya should see yer face."

"Ha ha," Kate scowled, "but seriously what are you talking about?"

"Hidey-holes, as pirates call 'em, are merely just tha', a hole where a pirate can hide objects of value or even himself when under a threat. On Jimbo's ship there's one right next to the engine, where you'll be workin', understand?"

Kate nodded her eyes gleaming thinking this plan Silver and the others came up with through. Never before had she and Silver acquired a ship and a crew they could fully trust. Maybe now it was possible. Maybe now they could find her father's treasure and this cruel game of hide and seek can finally end. Kate yawned and Silver laughed.

"Now, go back to bed, ya now hav' plenty o' time to heal." Silver told her as he shifted himself in his own bed. He heard Kate sigh and position herself better on her bed and that's last thing he remembered before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

The following morning Silver woke up feeling refreshed, for once, and slowly left the room without waking up Kate. He wanted her to sleep as long as possible. Who knew the next chance she will get to sleep this late? Silver was surprised to hear running down the halls of the Inn when he left his room. He thought he would be the only one up considering how early it was. Just as Silver was pondering who else could possibly be up and making this much noise; the answer stood before him. Three little girls with feline attributes looked up at him curiously. All of their months were open as if in awe as they looked the old pirate up and down.

"Cool," the black-haired one said and then ran off down the stairs. Silver raised his eyebrows and chuckled a little.

"Max, I wouldn't say that," said the blond one who ran after her sister with a worried expression on her face. Silver watched them go and then he felt a tug on his pants and looked down.

The red-haired sister looked up at him apologetically and said, "Sorry about my sisters they can be a bit rude sometimes," she told him sweetly.

"Tha's al'ight miss.." Silver said.

She did a little curtsey and told him, "Miss Andrea, and you are?"

Silver did a bow for her and said, "A pleasure to meet cha lass, me name's Silver."

"So, you're the cyborg from Uncle Jim's stories?" The little girl asked her eyes lighting up.

"Yes, ma'am," he told her winking. Their conversation was cut short by a small cough and they both turned around to find Jim standing there smiling at them.

"Jiiiim!!!" Andrea shirked running into his arms.

"Andrea, be quiet people are still sleeping," Jim told her as she adjusted herself in his arms.

She gave him an innocent look, "Sorry, I didn't know you would home so soon," she pouted.

Jim laughed, "Something came up and I will be here for another week." He put her down, "Now, go eat breakfast with your sisters."

"Oh, okay-dokey," she said while skipping down the stairs.

"So, its Uncle Jimbo is it?" Silver asked grinning. "Boy though, their kids are sure cute."

Jim ran his hand through his hair and said, "Yeah they are pretty cute. How's Kate doing?"

"Whoa 'ere Jimbo…right down to business huh?" Silver smirked, "Like 'er do ya?" Silver smirk grew bigger as he saw a small speck of red on Jim's cheeks.

"No, Silver," Jim said in a stern tone, "just wondering," Jim finished off lamely.

Silver started to walk down the stairs with Jim as their conversation continued, "Well, ya should start to like 'er 'cause ya both will be spendin' a plenty 'o' time down there in the engine room…"

"Yeah," Jim said nervously, "speaking of that, did you tell Kate that part?"

"Uh, no…I just couldn't bring myself to hav' her hate me just yet."

"Oh so she hates me?" Jim asked nonchalantly.

"No I didn't say tha'. Don't cha be puttin' words in me mouth. Nah, I'm just sayin' tha' she doesn't much like it when I stick a body guard on 'er. She's just stubborn and strong willed is all."

Jim just nodded. "You know the longer you put it off the madder she is going to be."

"Put what off?" Jim and Silver had entered the kitchen and were about to sit down when Amelia interrupted them with her question.

"Silver hasn't told Kate yet, that I will pretty much be her body guard," Jim grimaced when he realized his job was going to be a pain in the ass. He feared this at first when Amelia and Silver put the plan together but now he was even more fearful especially since Silver has been holding off on telling Kate that part of the plan.

_Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,_ Jim thought.

Silver laughed at both of their faces. Amelia looked a little annoyed that Silver kept that part of the plan away from Kate. Jim just looked scared. "Don't ya worry now I will tell 'er when she gets up," Silver told them hiding his smirk.

_She was standing what looked like a middle of a desert. Nothing around for miles except for a spacious, rusty, two story home. Kate immediately recognized where she was. The plant Persephone. She had no doubt in her mind. She had been here to many times before in her dreams to have doubt. _

"_Katie!"_

_She turned around to see Silver instructing her to move toward him. Panic was in his voice and his face looked frustrated at her unwillingness to move. The brightness of Persephone's light was just about to fade and Kate turned around to see the home she was staring at blow up into flames._

_She screamed and started to run toward the house now being eaten by the fire that spread fast._

"_No!"_

_Silver grabbed her and held her back but she still felt the heat lick at her flesh. And then she heard it. Screams coming from about a dozen of children inside broke the silence after Kate's screams._

_Sobbing uncontrollably Silver picked her up and started to carry her away from the burning home. She struggle against the fact that those children were now dying. She wanted to get away. _

_Away from the heat._

_Away from the screams._

Kate woke up in a start. Sitting start up in her bed with beads of sweat running down her body. She could still feel the heat of her dream- no nightmare- dance across her skin. The screams still echoed in her ears so much so that she completely ignored the pain in her leg when she walked to the shower.

She striped off her clothes and turned the cold water onto max. She did not want to feel the heat of those flames on her skin any more.

That nightmare has been haunting ever since the horrid incident on Persephone. And it was all her fault. She forced Silver to stay there; convinced him that they would be safe. She was wrong. Deadly wrong.

She loved that home and the people who lived there. They were so much like a family that she just did not want to leave. And the children only made her want to stay more. So innocent and so much fun. The week they spent there before the flames was like a dream for her. No running. But most importantly she had found a home outside of her father.

Silver and she went to run an errand in the town miles away from the house. When they got back they found the house in flames. Kate shuddered as she stepped out of the shower. She was now freezing but she did not care. As long as she wasn't hot.

Dressing herself up in a pair of khaki pants, her black boots, and a white ruffled sleeveless shirt with a red vest that highlighted her chest. She didn't want her chest highlighted it was just that these were the only set of clothes she could find that kept her cool. Kate looked in the mirror and sighed as she found the locket around her neck. She fingered the gold chain hoping that whatever secrets it held would be able to help her find her father's treasure.

Limping out of the room and down the stairs was not fun but what was worse were the stares that she got as she entered the now full dining area. She stared them back down and then everybody went back to eating and talking to their families.

"People," she scoffed as she headed to a private dining room where she saw Silver eating stew. But before she could get there a little puppy boy stopped her. He looked up at her with brown puppy eyes which just made Kate smile at him.

"You're hurt ma'am," he told her pointing at her leg.

Kate got down on one leg to get to the boy's eye level and smiled, "I know, don't worry, I'm okay."

"With no disrespect miss, you don't look okay," he told her looking down.

She pulled up his chin gently, "You are sweet. What's your name?"

He smiled, "Delbert Jr. after my father," he told her proudly as her eyes widened but she quickly recovered.

"Well," she gave him a kiss on the top of his head as she slowly stood up, "Delbert Jr. you are truly the sweetest little boy I ever met."

He blushed, "Thank you, miss," and he walked away.

Kate watched him walk away with a sad smile on her face. She hopped into the private little dining room slamming the door shut behind her. Silver, Doppler, Amelia, and Jim all looked up at her and Morph gave a little jump at her sudden entrance.

"Katie!" Silver exclaimed, "Ya just in time fer lunch and…oww." Silver was interrupted by a series of small punches that were aimed at his non-cyborg arm.

When she stopped, he said, "ya kno' those actually sometimes hurt."

"Oh, shut it, did you know?" She asked him piercing him with her deathly stare.

"Know wha'?" Silver played dumb. This was sort of true because he wasn't quite sure why exactly she was mad at him.

She growled in frustration and slid herself down a wall in the room, "You have a kid." Kate stated glaring at Amelia.

"Actually I have four, which one did you met?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You ha-have four!" She stated putting her head in her hands. Everybody stared at each other with confused looks except for Silver.

"What is going on?" Amelia asked them.

"Persephone," Kate whispered looking up at Silver narrowing her eyes. Silver nodded solemnly and turned to look at Jim, Doppler and Amelia who looked dumbfounded.

"The planet Persephone?" Doppler asked.

Silver nodded again looking serious, "Katie, that will not happen again," Silver stated.

She shook her head at him, "You do not know that, and I am not taking that risk. We are leaving tonight."

"Kate you are being ridiculous, you are not leaving. You have the ILE protecting you, as we speak, so you have nothing to fear. I am curious, though, what are you two talking about when you say 'Persephone'?" Amelia's tone was the one she used when she was not to be argued with but Kate did not care.

"Amelia, if you knew what we were talking about you would not have said that I am being ridiculous." She stated looking at Amelia giving her a stern look.

"Okay, then explain please."

Kate looked at Silver silently asking for help, she could not tell the story. Silver nodded at her in understanding.

"Cap'n did ya hear tha' story almost a year ago 'bout pirates settin' a fire on Persephone?"

"Of course I did, all Captains were alerted of that tragedy. Awful story, really, about a dozen children and a few adults were killed in a fire started by pirates that were never caught." She completed her summary of the crime and her eyes widened in realization of the connection of Kate stating 'Persephone' combined with Kate's frightened looks when she realized Amelia had children.

Amelia gaped at them. "Well I guess ya figured it out," Silver said quietly.

"Well I haven't," Delbert said looking more confused.

Kate ran her fingers through her hair and stared at the floor, "I am not being ridiculous," she stated again, "I am being cautious, there are some dangerous people looking for me who will do anything to get to me including murdering innocents." She looked up at Amelia with tears in her eyes, "Now, do you want me to go or not?"

Amelia's eyes widened slightly at Kate's sudden proposal, "No, of course not. You're staying put. Silver's right that won't happen, not here, not with the protection we have."

"You don't…" Kate started.

"Yes I do know that Katharine Kayser and I will let you know that in the future you will not question me on the safety of my children, is that understood?" Amelia was now the one who was shooting death glares at Kate.

Kate was stoned faced and did not say a word or acknowledge Amelia's question. Amelia walked toward the door, "I said, is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kate replied.

"Now I want everybody in this room to discuss plans for our voyage at twenty-hundred hours, understood?"

There was a chorus of 'Yes ma'am' and Amelia left the room closing the door behind her. An awkward silence ensued for a couple minutes until Delbert made his contribution.

"So just that I can fully understand this, you are saying that you were the cause of the fire?" Delbert asked Kate while Jim and Silver shot him glares of frustration.

Kate only nodded and Silver gaped at her, "Katie don't cha dare even fer a moment think tha' it was yer fault!"

Kate only shrugged, "Cause and effect," she said simply.

"Silver's right," Delbert told her, "it wasn't your fault. The cause simply was greed, nothing more."

"Yeah, but if I wasn't there…" Silver cut her off.

"You had a right to be any where ya wanted to be, lass."

She was about to protest again but Silver intervened, "Now stop ya moping, I have a suggestion fer ya to do. Ya need to get out, Kate, go solar surfin'." Silver suggested.

Kate laughed, "Okay," she told him sarcastically, "I will do that, with no board and a useless leg, easy way for me to get killed. Thanks for the suggestion."

Silver rolled his eyes, "Jimbo could take ya."

"What?!" They both exclaimed looking at Silver.

"Ya both need to get to kno' each other and Kate I kno' how much ya miss surfin' and ya need to get out. And Jim I trust ya to take care 'o' her, so go and tha' is not a request." He gave them both a stern look and walked out the door with Delbert.

Jim looked at Kate as she stubbornly looked at floor not wanting to start a conversation. He sighed and stood up loudly so that she knew he was leaving and started walking toward the door.

"So you solar surf?" Her question caught him off guard and he turned around to see her grinning. "Maybe you're not as bad as I thought."

"Gee thanks," he told her sarcastically but her grin only grew. She slowly stood up and limped toward him.

"Look I really want to surf, I haven't done so in a really long time," she confessed to him, "so if you don't mind I would actually really appreciate it if you would help me out."

He smiled at her, "Wow, so you're really not that stubborn all the time. You're not as bad as I thought."

She narrowed her eyes at his teasing but her smile was still there, "Ha ha, I only have one rule though."

"Only one?" Jim asked shocked.

Kate ignored the jab, "yeah, watch where you put your hands," she told him in a stern tone as they walked outside, "or I will break your legs."

**A/N: Thanks to OMGitsEMILY for her constant reviews, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**So what did you guys think of the little background story? I will give you a cookie if somebody figures out my reference to a certain television show in this chapter. Well…not a cookie but a shout out or something…I will figure something out.**

**Review please!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Eight:**

Before Jim left for Montresssor Space Port he put his solar surfer in the shed behind the Inn to protect one of his most prized possessions. So he headed over there after telling Kate to wait by the Inn's back door so she wouldn't have to limp anywhere else. Like Kate he had not solar surfed that often, just enough to keep the edge off. After leaving the Academy Jim was needed at the Inn to help his mother which put off Jim becoming a Captain. And Jim needed an adrenaline rush and some type of adventure to keep him focused just because he loved it. Jim had known since he was 15 years old that he was addicted to near death experiences; but he kept those experiences to a minimum. He was not suicidal. Just excitably insane which worked for him.

"Took ya long enough," Kate complained to Jim when he came back carrying his solar surfer. She had put her hair up and she had her shorter layers side swooped to frame her face beautifully. But the scowl on her face helped Jim get over her beauty in a minute.

"Sorry," he said sarcastically, "would you have liked to rather limp there by yourself?" He took out the solar surfer and it started to charge up to get ready to take off. "You ready?"

She rolled her eyes at him and watched as he took his place toward the front of the surfer. "I'm always ready, but there is no way I am going be on the back," she told Jim while crossing her arms across her chest. Jim looked at her about to argue but he saw her stubborn pose and he decided against it.

He sighed and stubbornly stepped back and gave a gesture to show her to her spot while rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you're such a gentleman," she said sarcastically hopping onto the surfer. To keep herself balanced she had to grip the rail of the surfer with both hands making it so most of her weight was against it so Jim had to balance it out.

"Oh, no," he told her, "this is not going to work." He tentatively put his hands around her waist so some of her weight would be focused on Jim instead of tipping the surfer. She immediately tensed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She sounded as though she was about punch Jim. Or break his legs…

"Calm down, I'm just trying to make sure when we get in the air we don't tip over unless you really are stubborn enough to kill us." His breath against her ear made her shiver and relax comfortably against him.

_Crap, my body wants to give in, _she thought, _but he's right, double crap._

"Fine," she snapped at him, "but my warning still stands." She felt him laugh, humorlessly at her and she scowled at him.

"Okay, then let's get this over with," he snapped back at her as they started to take off into the endless sky. Kate closed her eyes for a minute so she could just experience the noise of the surfer combined with the wind rushing past her ears. The feel of her heart beating faster and faster as Jim sped up the surfer.

_Oh, this is just what I needed,_ she thought opening her eyes to the pure blue sky she loved so much. She rarely got a chance to experience the beauty. Yeah, space is an awesome endless black of silver specks but it gets old. Kate missed the simplicity of a blue sky. That and an adrenaline rush without threatening her life. Or not…

She suddenly felt Jim do a sharp dive toward the ground and watched as they plummeted closer and closer to the planet's surface. Yeah, she liked to take risks too, but she didn't really trust this boy enough to take those same risks while he was in control of the machine. Kate turned around to face him and shock fell across her face as she took in the proximity of her face to his. Her breath caught in her throat for second before she spoke in a low, harsh whisper, "What _are_ you doing?!"

It also took Jim a second or two to get over the closeness of Kate's face and her warm breath against his face before he could speak, "You scared?" He taunted her and she narrowed her eyes at him and then turned around from him watching as the ground got increasingly close. She instinctively scooted closer to Jim and closed her eyes. She was crazy when she was surfing too, but this was just insane.

Jim couldn't take this much longer. Kate was becoming a distraction. He decided to cave in and bring up the surfer before he really wanted too, just in case she was too distracting. She smelled like lavender and her warm body against his gave whole new sensations while surfing. As soon as he let the surfer go back up into the sky the heat and electricity he felt left as Kate loosened and scooted farther up. Maybe later he could…

_Crap, _he thought,_ stop thinking like that._ Jim chided himself.

"It's a miracle you're not dead," she muttered to him, "surfing like that you'll get yourself killed."

"I could say the same to you," he muttered in her ear making her shiver. Kate turned around to face him so she could glare at him. And for the first time since she met Jim she noticed his blue orbs. They were as beautiful as the sky they were now sailing across. Kate blinked and lost her train of thought. Maybe later she could…

_Shit, Kate, you cannot get yourself in too deep, so forget about it, _Kate lectured herself.

Jim thinking there was something wrong with Kate and asked, "You okay?" She nodded and turned back around. Silence endured for a few minutes. The only thing Kate and Jim heard was the noise of the surfer and the wind rushing around them. Finally Jim started to slow down towards a wooded area.

"What are we doing here?" Kate asked Jim panic rising in her voice as she realized the only weapon she brought with her to defend herself was a small, sharp knife in her boot.

Jim noticed the fear in her voice, "Calm down," he told her gently helping her off the surfer. "Don't ya trust me?"

Kate sat down against a tree checking over her leg when she answered, "I don't know." She looked up, Jim actually looked hurt.

"No offense," she added, "I just met you, yesterday, and trying to get us both killed doesn't really help," she smirked at him as he sat down next to her.

He grinned, "Sorry 'bout that, it won't happen again," he told her sincerely. So sincere that Kate had a few questions to ask.

"Why do you care?" She asked him and then realized the harshness of the question when Jim grimaced. "Sorry, I didn't mean the question to sound quite like that." She started to play with a blade of grass waiting for a response.

"Well, Captain and Silver really care for you and I owe both of them a lot. And..," Kate cut him off.

"From what Silver has told me he's the one that owes you," she commented.

"Well, that's Silver's side of the story," Jim told her, "and besides that it's been boring being stuck in one place and I would rather be risking my life than not doing anything."

Kate frowned, "you think that now," she told him sadly.

"Sorry, I know you have probably been through a lot since your father died."

Kate looked away from Jim, "yeah, it happens when you happen to be a walking treasure map." She chuckled and then buried her face in her hands and sighed. Yeah she was a walking treasure map but she had no idea where to go to get the treasure. Kate hadn't told Amelia yet afraid of the reaction she would get from her. Amelia set up an expedition just for Kate, thinking that she had a map to go along with. Boy, was she wrong

"So why are we here again?" Kate's question was a bit muffled since her head was still being cradled by her hands but Jim heard it.

"Silver thought it was a good idea," he told her while playing with a stick he found, "to get to know each other better before we're closed off into the engine room together."

Kate's head snapped up and looked at him, anger flashing in her eyes. "WH-What?!"

"Another reason why we are here," Jim told her smiling, "Silver didn't want you to hunt him down and kill him." He watched as Kate slowly got up and limped over to the solar surfer. Jim rolled his eyes and walked over to her.

"Are you insane?" He asked her, "Do you really think that you can get back to the Inn by yourself?"

"Yes," Kate replied stubbornly trying to get around Jim, who was blocking her way to the surfer, "besides, if I die on the way there it will cure everybody's problems, anyways."

Jim grew more serious and grabbed Kate by the shoulders, "What is that suppose to mean?"

"Well, I won't be able to kill Silver, for one," she said, Jim just rolled his eyes, "and more importantly you, Amelia, Silver, and everybody else can go on living your lives without the threat of death."

Jim looked shocked and gripped Kate's shoulders even tighter which made her wince. "You can't seriously think that."

"I _know _that," she replied trying to escape Jim's grip.

Jim locked his eyes with hers and said, "You are wrong. If you kill yourself like that, you will just hurt them even more. I've talked to Silver, you mean a lot to him. Your father was his best friend, right?"

Kate nodded.

"Well, don't kill Silver's best friend's daughter, more importantly his godchild. You are the only person left from Silver's past and you really think he would be better off with you dead? He's still a pirate. If it wasn't for you he would probably still be risking his life in another way."

Kate actually laughed at that while wiping away a tear that escaped from her eye. "Aren't you part of Silver's past too?"

Jim smiled, "Yeah, but I'm not part of that past. He's known you since you were a baby."

Kate smiled back remembering the times Silver came to see her family. "Yeah…" she sighed and looked up at Jim, "you can let go of me now, I won't do anything stupid."

Jim hesitantly released Kate's shoulders but didn't move away from the surfer, "you sure?" He asked cocking an eyebrow. Kate glared at him while she slowly sat down in front of him to show Jim she wasn't going to go anywhere.

"I'll be good," she told him in mock innocence, rolling her eyes.

"Good, because they've assigned me to be your bodyguard," Jim told her crossing his arms across his chest looking down at her sternly.

"Damn it. I was afraid of that, you know I can take care of myself," she told him.

"Yeah," Jim looked down at her leg, "obliviously."

"Hey, you're one to talk mister I-got-a-cut-on-my-chest-from-the-same-dwarf too," she replied harshly.

"Whatever," he held out a hand to help her get up, "let's head back."

Kate ignored his helping hand and got up on her own and positioned herself back on the surfer in front of Jim. "I've had Academy training and then some, ya know. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah me too," Jim muttered as the surfer went into the sky, once again.

* * *

At twenty-hundred hours Amelia, Doppler, B.E.N., Silver, Kate, Jim, and Morph gathered in the private room in the back of the Benbow Inn. Nobody had decided yet to start their little meeting. They were too busy talking with each other. Kate had a solemn face knowing what was to come in this little meeting of theirs. Silver and Jim were involved in a heated discussion Kate had no interest in. Amelia and Delbert were whispering secrets in each other's ears like they were young teenagers in love. Their smiles and loving glances toward one another only made Kate's stomach churn more. Kate kept asking herself how could she bring herself to spilt up a family so much in love?

She couldn't.

Amelia noticed Kate's eyes wondering over and over again to herself and her husband. Amelia knew that Kate was a noble, brave, and stubborn girl and with the death of her father, Amelia knew that Kate was not going to be keen on breaking up a family. So before Kate could start her protests Amelia spoke.

"Katharine if you start protesting during this meeting, know that I will not stand for it."

Kate gave her a small smile. "I know, but that doesn't mean I won't start."

Amelia sighed. "I was afraid of that response. So what is it? Why are you protesting now?"

"I do not wish to break up a family," Kate replied, "especially over something that is not consistent."

Everybody looked up at the girl in pure confusion except for Silver. His face was contorted into anxiety over what was to come. He knew this conversation needed to take place before the voyage but he did not expect it to come so soon. Silver shook his head thinking; leave it to Kate to always surprise him.

"Please explain, Kate," Amelia told her after looking at the grimace on Silver's face. He obliviously knew what Kate spoke of.

Kate looked at Silver and was relieved when he nodded for her to continue. She locked her eyes with Amelia's as she spoke. "My father never had time before his death to explain to me the whereabouts of his treasure. But he did leave behind a number of clues to its location. Silver and I have been finding them everywhere and we thought we were getting somewhere until we found the last clue. We are both stumped as to its meaning." Kate saw Amelia's eyes widen at her words and Kate looked down at the table in shame.

"Your revelation changes nothing," Amelia told her, "for me; at least, I dare not speak for the others." Amelia looked around at her husband then to Jim for their answers to her unasked question.

Delbert gently took his wife's hand, "if you're going I am going," he told her lovingly.

Kate smiled at the touching scene and then she turned her attention to Jim who was now staring at her with intense eyes. She could not help herself but flinch at the intensity.

"Captain Hawkins?" Amelia asked and Jim tore his gaze away from Kate to look at Amelia.

"I'll go," he replied, "on one condition. We figure out this clue before we go anywhere. I'm not willing to waste a perfectly good crew and ship on doing nothing but sit in space waiting to be attacked. If we are going to do this we do this smart."

Amelia nodded at him, "a very noble, smart decision James. Does everyone agree to these terms?"

Kate nodded agreeing with Amelia and then added her two cents into the deal. "Deal. And if these terms are not met Silver and I will be on our way off planet."

There was a resounding chorus of "No." around the table and Kate shrugged. "Hey," she told them, "it was worth a try."

Silver just shook his head at his godchild. "Before Katie shows ya'll da clue we can't figure out I think it's best if we share wit ya how we came of it." Amelia nodded at him and waited for him to proceed.

"Well," Silver stroked his chin thoughtfully as he tried to put the thoughts in his head to words, "da clue that led us to da one we're talkin' bout said, 'The map is on love.'" Silver stopped short to take in the faces of Amelia, Delbert, and Jim. They seemed to be thinking rather hard.

"Wait a minute," Amelia cleared the air, "you're telling me that you found the map on 'love'?" She looked at Kate and then back to Silver incredulously. "What in the Etherium did that mean?"

"Well, the term 'love' in that clue was meant loosely, if that helps," Kate added while waiting to see which one of them would figure it out first. She was enjoying it.

"Love, love, love," Morph repeated over and over again zipping around Jim's head. Jim caught the blob and tickled him while thinking over the last clue Silver and Kate figured out before arriving. He hated the look on Kate's face while she waited gleefully for someone to figure it out. She looked smug. Jim guessed she was the one that figured it out.

Delbert suddenly gasped and looked between Kate and Silver stunned. "Are you telling me, that you actually took a young woman took that _place_?!" Delbert was looking at Silver shocked.

"Hey, there doc I kept me eye on 'er besides Kate can take down men twice her size," Silver defended himself. Kate smiled at Silver's compliment.

"Whoa," B.E.N. obviously figured it out too, thanks to Delbert's outburst. "I remember when Flint would take his crew there. Those were the only days I actually saw Flint smile." B.E.N. shivered and Kate wondered how a robot could even do that.

"What?" Jim and Amelia asked at the same time looking confused. Amelia was looking at her husband for an answer while Jim glared at B.E.N.

Kate laughed. "Are you telling me? Two _Captains_ can't figure out the clue, but everybody else can? This is too good." Amelia ignored her comment unlike Jim who turned around to glare at her instead of B.E.N.

Delbert finally answered his wife, "well, 'on love' obviously refers to 'love' as a place because it's on something. So I started to think through places that could make a reference to the word 'love' and Kate's hint about the word 'love' being put loosely helped me think of Eros." Delbert shot Kate an appreciate glance, "you are very smart to figure that out."

"Thanks, doc, anyways as you know Eros is neutral planet for pirates and some actually refer to it as some sort of home," Kate grimaced as she remembered her time spent their searching for the stupid locket that now hung around her neck. That planet was seriously messed up and not to mention completely disturbing and perverted. Kate then mimicked B.E.N.'s earlier action and shivered.

"I've never heard of this planet," Jim commented looking around the table, "why is everybody having _this _same reaction to it." Jim was referring to the shivering and disgusted looks everybody was sharing in the room.

"Oh, come on _Jimbo_," Jim narrowed his eyes at Kate, "you haven't heard of the three Gs of piracy?"

Jim shook his head at her.

Kate rolled her eyes and told him, "Gold. Greed. And Girls." Kate counted the three Gs off of her fingers one by one. "And Eros deals precisely in the last G, thereby explaining the disgusted looks you are seeing."

"I agree with Delbert," Amelia suddenly turned to face Silver, "you shouldn't have brought Kate with you to that planet. Yes, Kate is strong but she is more beautiful than she is strong making her valuable. Plus, there would have been no way she could have held off a gang of pirates all twice her size. She could have been kidnapped, killed, or worse." Amelia gulped and Kate stared at her with wide eyes truly scared of Amelia's last statement. "Sorry Katharine," Amelia told Kate gently noticing her fear of Amelia's words.

"Oi! Cap'n! Yeah, I may be a pirate an' not a nice lookin' one at tha' but if ya think I would let anythin' like tha' happen to Katie…" Silver snarled, "I'm not dumb we came up wit a plan to get us in there safely and, besides, tha' pirates are monsters but tha' does not mean evil…we hav' codes…laws…rules tha' must be followed. Why do yeh think Eros is there to begin wit? To make sure things like 'or worse' don't happen," Silver growled out his last sentence. He was now standing up red in the face.

Kate bit her bottom lip waiting for the silence to be broken. She knew Silver was very passionate about the pirate codes and he was also good man he would never do anything like that. Wanting to resolve the silence quickly Kate spoke, "Okay, everybody needs to calm down now and stop saying what kind of things can happen to me because now I'm pretty sure I'm going to nightmares," Kate shivered to prove her point, "look I'm fine, nothing happened to me at Eros. We went in got what we needed and headed out without much trouble."

Silver slowly sat down as his anger fled from him. Delbert stood up in his stead.

"I believe there has been enough discussion for tonight, and we should resume this tomorrow night at twenty-hundred hours," Delbert told everyone gently and then he turned his gaze to Kate, "I'm sorry if anything said here has disturbed you. Goodnight everyone."

Everybody said their quiet goodnights to each other and Amelia apologized to Silver to which he accepted. Kate being as shaken up as she was grabbed a hot drink before heading up the stairs and into her new bed.

_Oh, God, _she thought, _please no more nightmares._

**A/N: I'm really disappointed that nobody besides one person decided to review, therefore nobody got a cookie. That's okay when I thought about it was a hard reference to get especially if you didn't watch the show. I will give you two cookies if you get it now. Haha.**

**Thanks to OMGitsEMILY again!!**

**Please, please, please, please, please, please REVIEW!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Nine:**

Kate woke up the next morning relieved that she had a relaxing, dreamless sleep. She stretched in her bed and grinned when she felt barely any pain from her leg. Kate looked to her right to notice that Silver had already had gotten up. She wondered if she could ever get up before him. Kate was debating the odds of that happening when she noticed the sun coming up over Montressor. It was absolutely beautiful. The colors were a mixture of oranges, reds, purples, and a bit of pinks. The light slowly poured into the room and Kate believed that this was a start of a brand new day. A day that will hopefully have a better outcome than the day before.

_Optimistic much? _ Kate asked herself because she was not usually this cheerful or hopeful.

There was a new feeling in the pit of her stomach that she could not seem to shake off. Kate blamed this feeling for her new outlook on the world this morning. She was a proud, stubborn, pessimistic girl, damn it. And the worst part of it was that she could not recognize this new weight of emotion in her gut. It pierced her and it made her question herself. She never had the issue of self-doubt before and now it was killing her and she didn't even know why.

So ignoring the growing feeling in the pit of her stomach, Kate got dressed and headed downstairs for something to eat. Hopefully, she thought, the feeling was just hunger.

* * *

Jim grabbed a plate of fruit from the kitchen and headed into the small dining room where he found Silver sitting eating a purp of all things.

"Jimbo," Silver greeted him, "you were right."

Jim gave him a questioning look as he sat down to look at pile of maps that were thrown around the table. He guessed Silver was trying to find the location of Kayser's treasure which Jim thought was pointless considering that they haven't figured out their last unknown clue.

"Right about what, Silver?"

"Those purps on dah RLS Legacy _are_ like the ones on Montressor," Silver smirked.

Jim laughed remembering the first day he met the pirate that sat next to him now. "So what's with all the maps?"

Silver sighed in frustration. "I'm tryin' to retrace Noah's old paths, ya know, as a pirate. Maybe I'll get lucky and figure it out before all is lost." Silver finished sadly.

Jim frowned. "You don't think that we'll figure out the last clue?"

"Oh, I didn't say tha'. I just like havin' another plan up me sleeves." Silver winked and went back to looking at the maps as Jim picked through his fruit his mind on last night's confessions and concerns.

Kate's concern for Amelia and her family.

Amelia's concern for Kate's safety.

Silver's confession in taking Kate to a brothel.

Kate's confession in having no idea to the whereabouts of her father's treasure.

And out of all these concerns and confessions the only one he found disturbing and surprising was his own. After that meeting Jim had to confess to himself that he was entirely intrigued by Kate. So intrigued that the thoughts of last night and the ride on the solar surfer with her had kept Jim tossing and turning in his bed. Making him lose sleep. His concern about his confession was that he had no idea _why _he couldn't get Kate out of his head. As though his thoughts had summoned her there she was walking into the room…singing.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," Kate sang as she approached the table and sat down stealing some fruit off of Jim's plate. Silver chuckled at her.

"Yeh a pirate now, lass?" Silver asked looking amused. Kate shrugged at him playing with the locket around her neck.

"Has a nice ring to it, does it?" She mused and then added, "It's in my blood, ain't it? And if Amelia's plan doesn't work out, I'm thinking piracy will work."

Silver chocked on his purp and Jim swallowed his drink the wrong way making him cough. Kate was completely serious when she said that, so she was looking at them both very bemused.

"Katie," Silver gasped, "just 'cause yer parents were pirates don't mean ye should follow in their footsteps."

"I know that," Kate remarked, "I just think it may be smart blending in behind enemy lines." Kate winked and stole another piece of fruit from Jim's plate causing him to glare at her.

Kate noticed his glare. "I don't see your name on it." She returned his glare with one of her own.

Jim suddenly loosened his glare and gave her a cheeky smile. "You're right but I did lick every piece."

Kate's eyes widen and Jim gave her a smug look. She decided to play along with him and shrugged. "Whatever," she told him nonchalantly and took another piece.

Silver looked between them a bit amused and annoyed at the same time. Annoyed because Kate thinking it's a good idea to become a pirate was bad. Silver needed to talk her out of it. So he's annoyed side won. "Will yeh two stop yer flirtin'…this is serious!"

Kate and Jim both turned to Silver with their jaws dropped and before neither of them could deny it Silver spoke. "Look, Katie, yer father would not like ya fallin' down the same path he did. He would like ya ta be safe." Silver told Kate gently.

"Safe?!" Kate asked incredulously. "Safe? If he wanted me to be safe than he would have gotten rid of that stupid treasure a long time ago! But, no, he has me running for my life across the Etherium so I'm going to do what I have to do to survive. Savvy?" And with that Kate stalked out of the room fuming and headed toward the back exit to get outside. She needed to get some air and calm down.

_I hate this; _she thought, _what right does Silver have telling me what my father would have wanted me to do?_

Kate sat down against the outside wall of the Benbow Inn and took deep breathes. What was so wrong about her thinking about becoming a pirate? If it made her safe and blend in, plus nobody would see it coming, so why not? Then Kate remembered those pirate horror stories she overheard her dad and Silver talk about when they both thought she was asleep. She shivered. Hopefully Amelia's mission will work and end it before Kate has to go too far. Kate had her head in her hands when she heard the back door open.

"Save it Silver, I don't need to hear it."

"Hear what?" Kate whipped her head around to see Jim standing there instead of Silver.

"Oh," she said in a monotone voice, "it's just you."

"Yeah," Jim replied sitting next to her. "You know Silver was just looking out for you, right?"

Kate nodded. "I should apologize and I will; it's just before we came here our situation seemed completely hopeless. This is the first time in a long time I've felt like there is hope to ending this…chase." Kate had trouble finding the right word and Jim waited for her to continue. He didn't expect her to open up to him. He was pleasantly surprised.

"So I was just thinking that just in case Amelia's plan fails I should have a back-up plan, you know?" Jim nodded at her listening intently. "Piracy just seemed fitting in an ironic, funny way." Kate laughed a little and turned to look at Jim. "Or do I sound crazy?"

Jim failed at trying to cover up his smile at Kate's question. "No you don't sound crazy."

Kate raised an eyebrow at Jim curious at his answer. "Okay you do sound a little crazy," he told her, "but I personally think that's a good thing. Every good spacer needs to be a little crazy to do what we do."

Kate laughed. "You would think that."

"Yeah," Jim said laughing softly, "doesn't mean I ain't wrong." Then he stood up and went inside, hoping that he gained a few points with Kate.

"James Hawkins!" Jim heard his mother calling from the front door of the Inn. "You have a visitor."

Jim entered the main dining area of the Benbow Inn to see his friend, Edmund Downey, smiling like a fool looking around anxiously. "Hawkins!" He exclaimed while dropping his bags coming over to Jim to give him a hug. "Hey Eddie," Jim greeted.

"So you're finally a Captain, huh? The ILE must have lost their minds," Downey said laughing.

"I believe they did," Amelia added coming down the stairs to greet the newcomer, "but good for them James will not be Captain after all. The situation has changed Mr. Downey, will you accept serving under my leadership?"

Eddie saluted at Amelia and said, "Of course Captain Amelia, ma'am but may I have permission to ask a question?"

"Permission granted, spacer."

"Why is Hawkins not Captain? With all due respect, ma'am," Eddie asked bowing his head a little. Just at that moment Kate Kayser choose to make her appearance in the dining area. Amelia waved her to come over and she did. Jim heard Eddie sharply take in air at Kate's sudden appearance in the small group that had gathered by the front door. Jim couldn't blame him.

"What's going on?" Kate asked looking at Amelia curiously.

"If you three would follow me I believe it would be wiser to take this conversation into a more private setting," Amelia told them leading the way to the small private room in the back. Silver was still sitting in the same chair in which Kate and Jim had left him in that morning.

"Wha's goin' on?" Silver asked looking up at Kate. She just shrugged her shoulders at him.

"Silver, I'm so-," Kate started to apologize but Silver cut her off.

"Save it, Katie, I kno' yeh are we'll talk 'bout it later," Silver told her gently and she nodded at him.

"Mr. Downey I would like you to meet some of your crew members. You already are acquainted with James Hawkins, but this is Katharine Kayser and John Silver. This mission has been approved by the ILE to help them out. If you are willing to risk your life for a mere treasure hunt than I will explain more since you are James' friend but if you are not then I need to know now and then you need to leave and not speak a word of this to anyone. Do I make myself clear?" Amelia stated her conditions looking at Eddie as his face morphed from mere surprise to clear shock with a jaw dropped in less than a minute.

Eddie nodded, "I'm sorry ma'am this is just a great deal of information to comprehend in such a short amount of time," Eddie told her while sitting down in a chair.

"I understand that you may need-," Amelia started to tell him.

"Oh, I need no time Captain I have already decided I am staying on crew if that is acceptable?" Eddie asked.

"Of course it is acceptable," Amelia told him looking a bit befuddled, "but are you positive about your quick decision?"

Eddie smiled charmingly at Kate once he regained his composure trying to woo her; Kate just rolled her eyes. "I live for these types of missions Captain to be honest, so please continue with your explanation. Am I correct in saying that it has something to do with the beautiful Ms. Kayser?" Eddie asked glancing at Kate as she prepared to punch the small man for his roaming eyes. Jim held her back and Silver just chuckled.

Amelia looked stoned-faced, "Yes, you are correct so I must advise to refrain from insulting her if you would like to stay on crew."

"I will be the perfect gentleman, Captain," Eddie actually looked serious.

"Very well then," Amelia said and she sat as did everyone else, "since you recognized Katharine am I right to presume that you know of the trouble and danger she is in?"

"Yes, I am very much aware," Eddie replied.

"Then our mission should be easy for you to comprehend. We are going in search of the treasure Silver and she has been looking for in the past two years. It will be a dangerous feat and we need spacers we can trust," Amelia informed Eddie looking at him with intense eyes debating if he was worthy of her trust.

"You can trust me Captain, I am loyal to the ILE and to Hawkins, he can tell you," Eddie said looking at Jim for help.

"Unfortunately it is not only my trust you will need to acquire but theirs as well," Amelia told him referring to Silver and Kate. "And since you did not make a very good first impression with Katharine I am guessing that you do not have her trust; however, her trust_ is_ hard to come by," Amelia added grinning at one of her favorite students.

"Well I trust yeh," Silver added unexpectedly, "if Jimbo trust yeh than I do."

Eddie laughed, "_Jimbo_! Oh, that's great."

"Thanks for that Silver," Jim said sarcastically. Silver only grinned at him.

"And I do, also. I've looked at your record and it's flawless; James' trust in you is just an added bonus," Amelia told him after his laughter had calmed down.

Everybody looked at Kate for her input. She scowled, "Well since they all have such good faith and trust in you than I suppose I will be a fool not to trust you."

"Congratulations Mr. Downey, you are officially on our crew and I will expect nothing but your best," Amelia told him shaking his hand.

"And you shall receive nothing less," Eddie replied.

Kate leaned toward Jim to whisper, "Don't tell me that all of your friends are all stuck-up, arrogant perverts."

Jim chuckled and whispered, "Yeah well, Eddie was never good at making first impressions."

"Well, if the rest of his impressions aren't good than I may kick off the mission," Kate warned him.

"That is perfectly understandable but I assure you that will not happen," Jim whispered back.

"I hope not."

Jim suddenly came to a realization and he whispered, "Is that what you thought of me?"

Kate laughed and looked at him, "of course."

Jim grinned at her, "and now?" He asked.

"You're not so much as a pervert as I expected," Kate gave in with a hint of sarcasm.

"So I'm only two out of three? Huh, well I've done worse," Jim replied.

"James and Katharine, will you two please stop talking!" Amelia commanded looking cross. Jim and Kate both looked down in shame and mumbled apologies. "Now as I was saying Mr. Downey, Katharine has the final clue to get us to the treasure she just can't figure it out."

"Well what is it?" Eddie asked looking around at everybody. Kate gently took off her locket and threw it at Amelia which she promptly caught and looked down at it curiously.

"Fascinating," she said marveling at the unique design and the inscription. "And you found this at Eros?" She asked Kate.

Kate nodded at her. "Read the inscription."

" 'My life will say my greatest love,'" Amelia read aloud. "Well isn't it obvious that 'my greatest love' is Katharine?" Amelia asked.

"Tha's wha' we were thinkin'," Silver told her, "but if tha's true than who is 'my life'?" Silver asked nobody in particular.

"Perhaps Olivia?" Amelia asked.

"Nah, if tha's true than there will be no way tah open dah thing," Silver said.

"Have you considered the possibility you have it backwards?" Doppler asked as he closed the door behind him. "Some parents, including myself, have believed their children to be an extension of their own life. Our children _are_ a part of us," Delbert added.

"So that just means that Kate has to say her mother's name out loud," Amelia said excitedly.

"I already have," Kate said barely above a whisper, "that's not it."

"Yah mean ya've already tried it, Katie?" Silver asked.

"Well, not intentionally, it's just I've said her name while wearing the damn thing," she said frustrated, "nice try doctor," Kate added a bit less harsh.

Delbert nodded and then looked down to look at the locket. "Hmm interesting," Delbert mused, "Kate, what exactly did you say?"

"My mother's name, of course, Olivia Kayser," she told him.

Delbert smiled. "Yes, my dear, but this locket was created by your father who loved your mother perhaps he was thinking of another name?" Delbert thought out loud. Kate's eyes widen.

"Let me see it," she demanded and Delbert tossed it to her, "Olivia Harris," Kate said in a whisper and nothing happened. Kate looked crestfallen and hopeless, "Well, I guess we were all wrong."

"Belay tha'," Silver said, "don't cha give up Katie, now I remember Noah would always call Olivia, Livy, so try tha'," Silver told her.

"Livy Harris," Kate said to the locket again. This time it opened and as expected the map took up the entire room, illuminating the room in a greenish glow. Planets and galaxies poured out of the device and took up space in the small room.

"Treasure Planet all over again," whispered Jim as he stood up with everyone else listening to Doppler pointing out planets. Soon the planets stopped twirling around and it came to a stop at a very small red planet; showing the information of the planet and how to get there.

Silver chuckled, "O'course Noah would put it there," he said out loud.

"The Planet Odysseus," Delbert exclaimed, "named after the greatest explorer of all time."

Then suddenly the greenish glow was gone and Kate closed the locket with a smile on her face, "finally, time to end this," she said.

"Now, Katharine you are to keep that locket on you at all times, this is far from being over with," Amelia told her.

"Now, wait a sec Cap'n, wouldn't Kate be safer if she didn't carry tha' thing?" Silver asked.

"No, because if she does get captured and the pirates threatened her life she would be able to bargain with them cause she'll have the map," Eddie pointed out.

Amelia nodded, "exactly, Mr. Downey, besides only the people in this room _know_ that the locket is the treasure map, so I see no harm for it." Kate nodded and carefully placed the locket back around her neck.

"When are we leaving?" Kate asked. "Now that we know where we are going."

"As soon as possible," Amelia answered.

**A/N: Thanks to OMGitsEMILY and to penspot for their reviews!! Keep 'em coming!!**

**So what do you guys think of Eddie?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Ten:**

To say Jim Hawkins was excited to return to the darkness and beauty of space was an understatement. He was thrilled. Adrenaline was racing through his heart again; pumping energy into every part of his body.

_Yes, _he thought, _this is where I belong. _He was the first person to step on the vessel…no _his _vessel. Being back on a boat made him feel more in his habitat than anything else in the universe. This is why Jim named his vessel the_ RLS_ Serenity. He felt sure of himself in space and on a mission more so, than anywhere else. This was _his _purpose for living.

"She is beautiful," Eddie noted standing beside Jim looking around at the beauty of the boat. Jim could only nod in response. Eddie was absolutely correct. Apparently, Sarah Hawkins had no idea how much a vessel really cost especially if said vessel was to be used for ILE's purposes, so unintentionally, Jim's mother had saved up twice as much as needed. Allowing Jim to pretty much pick any boat he wanted promising to pay back his mother for everything she had done for him and more.

Leaving behind his mother and the Doppler kids were difficult to say the least. Amelia and Delbert were unusually quiet on the way up to the Space Port which caused Kate to look really depressed. When she was about to say something to them, Amelia caught it and before Kate could say anything Amelia gave her a stern look that said, "Don't you try that again." Kate had just sighed and stared absentmindedly at nothing until they had reached the Port. She had remained silent until Silver and she walked onto the _RLS_ Serenity.

"Oh…wow," she breathed obviously stunned.

Amelia came up behind them, "yes Katharine, I am going to have to agree with you. James you certainly know how to pick your ships." Amelia beamed looking up at the sails and the delicately crafted wood carvings that decorated the ships railings.

"Oi! Jimbo, lad! Serenity's a real beauty an' all but I'm more interested in tha' hidey-hole you were tellin' me 'bout," Silver told him.

"That's a good idea, Silver," Amelia said, "James why don't you show the 'hidey-hole' to Silver and Katharine, besides I think Katharine would like to see her bedroom." Kate nodded at her.

The three of them walked downed to the engine room together, silently taking in the elegance of the ship as they walked down a set of stairs that led to a small hallway with two doors that sat across from each other and another door at the end of the hallway.

Jim pointed to the door on their right, "that is the first mate's room," and then he pointed to the left, "this is the crew's bathroom, and through this door," Jim told them as they walked into it, "is the engine room."

Silver and Kate were slacked jaw. Never before had they seen a more pristine engine room. Or even thought the word 'pristine' and 'engine' together in a thought before. But, oh boy, that changed. Kate could immediately tell the engine was brand spanking new and she smiled. The walls surrounding the room were sound proof and so were the two sliding doors that sat opposite each other with the engine in the middle. Jim suddenly turned to the left and walked to the back wall and disappeared.

"Jim…" Kate called out concerned to where he had gone to. She and Silver walked over to the same wall and noticed a crevice hidden in the shadows. Suddenly a hand shot up from the darkness and grabbed Kate's wrist and pulled. Kate shouted out in protest as she was pulled into the crack but settled down when she heard Jim's quiet laughter at her reaction. She slapped his shoulder.

"That was not funny," she exclaimed while he rubbed his shoulder. Kate took that time to take in her surroundings. The crevice was deceiving Kate had decided. It was a small crack she came through and it looked as though she was now in a large closet. She could only see Jim's outline and hear Silver's laughter.

"I guess tha's deh hidey-hole ya were talkin' bout Jim," Silver chuckled, "scared ya a bit Katie?"

Kate scowled in Silver's direction and turned back to Jim, "so this is the 'impressive' hidey-hole, huh?"

"Actually, no," Jim answered as he moved toward the back of small room they were in, "come here."

"Excuse me?" Kate asked, stubbornly staying put and crossing her arms. Jim had to learn that nobody will ever tell her what to do. She heard him sigh and curse under his breath.

"Stop being stubborn, I just want to show you where you go if there is an emergency," he told her. Kate slowly made her way over to Jim. He must have gotten impatient with her because he grabbed her wrist again and pulled. Kate was starting to get sick of being pulled by him. Not only did the action itself shock her but the electricity when he touched her scared her more than anything.

"Will you stop that?!" Kate yelled at him as she pulled her wrist back from his grasp. Jim didn't seem to be irritated by her reaction and he just pointed down at what looked like to be an entrance to a slide. Kate looked at him quizzically.

He sighed. "In emergencies go down this slide and there is a room already prepared for you. There is a bed, a large quantity of supplies, and a monitor that shows you parts of the ship so that way you will know when it's safe to come out of hiding. And if things get too dangerous to stay on the ship there is a tunnel down there that will lead to the longboats. Got all of this?" Jim asked after his long explanation locking eyes with her wide ones.

Kate numbly nodded her head still soaking in the information Jim had provided. No wonder Silver was so excited about this 'hidey-hole'. "That's amazing," Kate stated simply.

"Yeah," Jim said as he started leading Kate out of the crevice and darkness to where Silver was waiting for them patiently.

"Did ya like it, Kate?" Silver asked.

"Yeah it's nice," she said still in shock, "can more than one person stay down there?" She asked looking between the two.

"I suppose," Silver said thoughtfully, "but yer deh only one we were plannin' on usin' it, Kate."

"I know, it's just I feel selfish if it's just me that will be down there."

"Well don't," Silver simply told her as he walked toward the door, "I am gonna go prepare deh galley. I will leave ya two ta settle down." Silver chuckled to himself as he walked out the door.

An awkward silence ensued for a few minutes as Kate collected her thoughts. She could not believe the extent Silver and the rest of them put into making sure she was safe. It was ridiculous; especially now because she also had a bodyguard. Not only it was ridiculous because she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself but also this was _Jim's_ ship. Shouldn't he have a more important job instead of babysitting her?!

"You didn't have to do this you know," Kate told Jim simply.

Jim immediately caught on to what Kate meant and said, "Yeah I did."

"But-," Kate started to argue her point but Jim cut her off.

"I don't want to hear it, Katie," he said sternly and turned his head to look at her and realized that he made a mistake by calling her 'Katie'.

"Don't you ever, ever call me that!" Kate yelled at him for the second time that day.

Jim put his hands up in mock surrender, "sorry," he told sincerely but then added, "So only Silver can call you that?"

She glared at him, "yes," she told him.

"May I ask why?"

"No you may not," she said incredulously her auburn locks framing her face making her dark eyes look dangerous as she glared at him. Okay, Kate had to admit that she really wasn't being fair to Jim but the only other person besides Silver who called her 'Katie' was her father. And it was just too painful for her to hear other people call her by _that _name. Silver got away with it only because he was practically family to her now and he had saved her life more times than she could count. But anybody else was pushing it.

"Sorry," she told Jim after a few seconds, "just don't call me that."

Jim just shrugged his shoulders.

"So," Kate said, "do you know who Amelia's first mate is?"

"Ernie Cooper," Jim told her, "he and Amelia were apparently friends at the Academy. She trusts him."

Kate nodded. "Well, I think we should go meet him." She started to head out the door but was stopped by Jim who put his hand on her shoulder.

"Before we go back you need to know that even though these spacers come from ILE you cannot trust them," Jim told her darkly.

Kate gave him an expression that said "No shit," before commenting, "Really, now? Expecting another mutiny?" She asked sarcastically. Jim crossed his arms at her. "Look, Jim I don't trust people easily. For a matter of fact I still don't trust you or your little pervert of a friend."

"But you told Silver-," Jim started.

"Yeah, just because Silver and Amelia trust you don't mean I necessary do. I trust _them_," she told Jim her eyes glaring.

"Then you're an idiot," Jim said leaning up against the wall his arms still crossed. "You agreed to have a bodyguard who you just said you don't trust…why would you do that?" Jim asked rhetorically before answering himself, "Unless on some sort of level you _do_ trust me and you're just being stubborn."

"I am not an idiot." Kate said angrily.

"Then you're just stubborn," Jim replied calmly grabbing her wrist and walking toward Amelia's cabin.

"Will you stop that," Kate told him while taking her wrist back from his grip as a pink blob landed on Kate's shoulder.

"Stop that!" Morph repeated turning into a mini Kate jumping up and down. Kate suppressed a sigh and just smiled at the pink blob as they walked into Amelia's cabin. Gadgets and other various objects were already placed throughout the Captain's office and Doppler was looking over a very large map, marking symbols and calculating distances between planets. Amelia was having a conversation with a very muscular and bald alien behind her desk. He stood up with pride as Kate and Jim entered extending one of his four arms to introduce himself.

"Katharine Kayser and James Hawkins, may I say it is a great pleasure to meet you both," he told them in a booming voice fitting of a first mate while shaking their hands.

"This is Mr. Cooper, he will be my first mate on this voyage and he has my complete trust," Amelia introduced the creature while emphasizing the word 'trust' translating to Kate and Jim that Amelia had told Ernie Cooper everything.

"It's very nice to meet you," Kate told him earnestly.

"And it is a great honor to meet you both," he beamed at both of them, "I have heard so many good things from Captain Amelia, here," he turned his head toward her for a second before turning back to Kate beaming, "and from your father."

Kate gaped. "You knew my fa-father?" She stammered out the question.

"Yes, he was a great teacher and a far greater man. I was very sorry to hear that he was no longer with us," Mr. Cooper said sadly. "He is one of the reasons I have decided to help. He spoke of you often, Katharine, and I do not believe he would have wanted this for you."

Kate had to blink back tears. Mr. Cooper was so sincere and genuinely sad when he spoke of her father that Kate was taken back a bit. She did not except to met another person grieving over her father as she still was…it was refreshing and sad for her. Kate started to realize that her father was a professor at the Academy and probably touched many of his students' lives while he was there. Who knows who else she might meet that her father had known in the past?

"You can call me Ka-Kate," Kate told him absent mindedly still trolling over her thoughts.

"If that's what you wish, my dear," he told her bowing his head slightly before leaving the cabin.

"Katharine," Amelia prodded her gently, "you okay?"

Kate nodded numbly still looking at the same spot of the floor since Cooper told her he had known her father. Kate guessed that the look of shock on her face scared Amelia, so much so, that she had Jim escort her back to the engine room. When they reached the room Kate's face was still a blank and she was staring off focusing on the door that led into her bedroom. Jim waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hey, you okay?" Jim asked concerned waving his hand in front of her. It took a couple seconds but Kate finally snapped back into reality and her eyes focused in on Jim.

"Yeah…I'll be fi-fine," she replied still not moving.

"Uh-huh, sure," Jim replied not certain, "maybe you should stay down here when we launch."

Kate fiercely shook her head, "No way, that's the only time ya'll are going to let me up on deck," Kate whined childishly.

Jim chuckled at her childish behavior. "Fine, but you are coming straight back down here afterwards."

Kate rolled her eyes at him. "Yes Captain Jimbo, sir." She mocked saluted him and walked back out the door.

After she left Jim took his time prepping the machinery for the launch while thinking about how fast Kate recovered from her shock. She went from barely being able to move to making sarcastic comments in under a minute. Jim just shook his head thinking that Kate's ability to adapt had something to do with being chased by pirates for two years.

* * *

Kate bounded up the stairs taking two at a time trying to get on deck before the launch started. The launching of a ship was always her favorite part of the voyage. The sensation of being lifted up by gravity and the slight pull of acceleration when they took up was like being up on cloud nine to Kate. Jim's mention of the launch made her realize how close it was for the ship to take off. Jim had effectively taken Kate's mind off of her father's connection to Mr. Cooper to the launching of the ship.

_Huh, I should thank him, _Kate thought sarcastically as she watched the crew of the _RLS_ Serenity scurrying around the deck getting ready for the launch. The crew ILE had sent to assist them was very professional and well-trained. There was a diversity of different species throwing ropes, climbing sails, and yelling orders while Kate just stood there taking in the view.

"I love watching a ship's launch," Kate turned to her right to see who had spoken to her to find a young woman perhaps a little younger than herself watching the crew. She had tan skin and bright pink hair which only stood out more because of her choice of wearing an all white outfit.

Kate smiled at her. The girl reminded her of herself as a child watching the launch for the first time. "It's my favorite part," Kate told her.

"Mine too!" The girl exclaimed her grey eyes widening in wonder.

Kate's smile broaden even more. The girl was so childish in her reactions that Kate instantly liked her.

"Miss Ferris back to your post!" Amelia commanded to the girl from her station which made the girl startle before she started to reluctantly walk away.

She turned around back toward Kate and shouted, "The name's Zoë by the way, see ya around."

_Yeah, if Jimbo doesn't catch me sneaking out,_ Kate thought hopefully.

* * *

Kate did not come back to the room after the launch. Jim expected this and went straight to the galley. And there she was sitting on a counter eating a purp and talking to Silver as he moved around preparing meals.

"Jimbo!" Silver announced as he walked in, "ya hav' not eaten all day. C'mon an' eat somethin'."

"You did not come back down," Jim didn't even acknowledge Silver as he scolded Kate.

Kate just shrugged her shoulders. "I figured as long as I was with Silver I would be fine."

"Yeah, Jimbo, she's safe wit me," Silver added.

"I know but she said she would be back after the launch," Jim told him crossing his arms at Kate.

"Katie," Silver berated her, "you cannot say ya'll do somethin' an' then skip out on it."

Kate shrugged her shoulders again illustrating she didn't care. "Fine it won't happen again." She took another bite of her purp but stopped eating once she realized Silver and Jim were still staring her with their arms crossed. Kate couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"This is serious, Katie," Silver said in a low gentle voice, "ya can't just shrug off these t'ings."

"Sorry," she said running her hand through her hair, "I'm just not use to having a babysitter, is all."

"I am not your babysitter," Jim said rather loudly.

"Who's not what now?" Asked a high pitched voice from the dish room. Kate narrowed her eyes at Jim smirking.

"Don't cha worry 'bout it lass, get back ta work," Silver told the voice.

"Who's that?" Jim asked.

"Oh, tha's dah cabin girl," Silver told him, "she'll be workin' here so ya got ta learn ta keep your voice down Jimbo."

"Voice down Jimbo!" Morph exclaimed bouncing around the galley. Kate giggled and caught the blob to tickle him. Jim mumbled an apology and started to eat listening to Kate's and Silver's conversation.

"So what's the cabin girl's name?" Kate asked Silver while still tickling Morph.

"Zoë," Silver replied.

"Aw that's all I get. Just a name?" Kate whined. "You usually name off things you've noticed about a person you first meet."

Silver chuckled. "Okay then, you an' her have somethin' in common."

"Really?" Kate asked intrigued.

"Yeah, besides both of ya gettin' on me nerves," Kate playfully smacked Silver on his arm for that comment as he walked passed her, "ya both are childish when ya want somethin'."

"Smart girl," Kate muttered, "I met her, ya know. Right before the launch."

"Did ya now?" Silver asked. "Well then I should be askin' you then. What did ya t'ink o' her?"

"I like her," Kate admitted as Silver dropped the bowl he was holding.

"Ya wha' now?" Silver asked clearly surprised. Kate just nodded at him waiting for him to explain why he was so shocked. "Why ya never like someone ya first meet…I dare say this is a first fer ya, lass."

"Hey! That's not true I liked you," Kate told him jumping down off the counter.

"Sure ya did, ya were a baby ya know," Silver told her chuckling.

"Whatever," Kate was about to say something else when Zoë walked in.

"Okay dishes done now wha-," Zoë stopped talking when she saw a huge pile of dishes next to Silver, "ugh I'm guessing I have to do these now too, huh?"

"Ya guess right, lass," Silver told her.

"Oh! Hey! You're that girl from before," Zoë exclaimed finally noticing Kate. Kate nodded at her giving her a small smile.

"And you're Silver's cabin girl," Kate said, "you are going to need all the luck in the universe."

"For once I actually agree with you," Jim added laughing while Kate glared at him.

"Oi! I wasn't tha' bad. I pounded some skills in tha' thick brain o' yours didn't I?" Silver exclaimed pointing at Jim.

Jim coughed to cover up a laugh. "I know, Silver, I'm just messing with ya."

"Does that a lot, doesn't he?" Eddie asked as her walked down the stairs into the galley, smiling as he came over to Kate. "Hey," he told her, "I'm sorry about before, do ya think we can start over?" He asked her sincerely as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Kate looked at him thoughtfully and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay," she told him as she took another bite of her purp.

"Tha' a girl, Kate," Silver told her. Kate stuck her tongue out at him as Zoë gasp.

"You're Ka-Kate Kayser?" The girl asked Kate.

Everybody in the galley turned to look at the girl as silence filled the room. Zoë had her mouth hanging open as if in shock, her eyes locked on Kate's face. Kate looked back at her and just nodded and then took another bite of her purp.

"Is tha' a shocker ta ya, lass?" Silver asked looking between Zoë and Kate.

Zoë's pink curls bounced as she shook her head. "Well, no we were all told that Kate Kayser would be on this voyage, obviously," Zoë paused to roll her eyes, "but I was just assuming that she would be hidden somewhere on board," she told Silver.

"Speaking of which," Jim said eyeing Kate who returned his glaze with a deadly glare that made her dark eyes flash.

"Go on, Katie," Silver said with a sigh, "he's right, ya know."

Kate rolled her eyes and started walking back with Jim to their room. She quickly turned around suddenly and winked at Zoë giving her a silent plea for help which did not go unnoticed by Eddie.

"Your room is the one on the left," Jim told her as they walked through the door. Kate sighed. She was not looking forward to hiding here with Captain Babysitter. Hopefully Zoë noticed Kate's plea for help and got her out of the room once in a while. Kate smiled at her new opportunity and started to walk toward her room when she noticed a small piece of machinery leaning up against the wall.

"Hey Jimbo!" Kate called smirking.

She heard him bang his head against something at her call and she had to suppress a giggle at his bewildered expression as he walked out of his room.

"Okay, if I can't call you 'Katie' how 'bout you don't call me 'Jimbo', huh?" Jim suggested irritated.

Kate just shrugged her shoulders. "Okay fine," she agreed, "but only if you let me ride that thing sometime," Kate pointed at Jim's solar surfer.

"Fine with me," he told her, "but you probably are going to have to ask Captain Amelia if you're allowed to ride it around the ship. She'll probably tell you 'no'," Jim added smirking.

"We'll see about that," Kate said smiling giving one last look at the solar surfer before heading off to bed.

**A/N: Yeah, yeah I know this took a really, really long time to get written. College is hard and the work keeps me busy. Sorry guys!!**

**Thanks to OMGitsEMILY, penspot, and Springerlight for their reviews!!**

**Happy Holidays readers!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Eleven:**

Kate Kayser woke up feeling refreshed which came as a shock. After all of the running and the fights in the past two years…in the last week even; it seemed like decades to her. She felt a life off her shoulders and it took her a while to figure out what it was exactly.

She was safe.

Or, at least, she felt safe. It was a strange, foreign feeling to Kate. A feeling she had not felt since before her father's death. A feeling that had not come no matter how far her and Silver ran or how well they hid. She had always felt vulnerable, weak, and open to any enemy.

Why she had finally felt the weight of her uncertainty of being safe lift off her shoulders…she did not know. Kate was curious as to why this feeling had accord now but she just cherished the feeling. She sighed sinking into her new bed, smiling into her pillow waiting for sleep to claim her again.

But a couple of hard knocks at her door interrupted her hopes of going back to sleep. Kate grabbed her other pillow and covered her head with it, determined not to get out of bed. The knocks only got louder and more consistent.

Kate groaned. "What do you want?" She shouted at the knocker.

Kate heard her sliding door open. "Breakfast is served your majesty," Jim told her sarcastically.

"Go away." She mumbled trying to get back to sleep.

"Sorry, no can do," Jim told her, "we both have work to do, so I need you up and ready to work."

Kate sighed as she got out of bed not caring that Jim saw her in just her pajamas. "Ya know," Kate told him yawning, "you wouldn't have been a bad Captain. I give you high marks in pushing the crew out of bed." Kate closed her bedroom door in Jim's face smirking at his stunned expression.

Kate giggled. _It's fun being able to stun boys into silence, _she thought.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other of Kate's door, Jim was still standing there with the same shocked expression that Kate had caught him with.

_Damn her, _Jim thought. _Why out of all the girls in the Etherium did Kate have to be the one to make me look like an idiot? …and make me in need of a cold shower?_

Kate's pajama's only included that of an extra-large bottom down top. Jim could pretty much see all of Kate's legs. They were long and looked smooth to the touch. He shook himself out of his musings to realize he was still standing in front of her door. Cursing at himself Jim got back to work.

A couple minutes later Kate strolled out of her bedroom fully dressed ready to do the work Jim was telling her about earlier. Imagine Kate's fury when she saw Jim lazily sitting down against the wall reading a book and looking as though he didn't have a care in the world.

"So this is work?" Kate asked Jim irritated while sliding down the opposite wall of him and glaring. "You woke me up at the crack of dawn to watch you sit and read?"

Jim raised a brow at her. "If you haven't noticed it is always dark in space, so I didn't wake you at the crack of dawn," Kate rolled her eyes at him, "and if you want to watch me just sit and read, that's fine by me, I know I'm just irresistible." Jim smirked at her and then continued to read.

Kate's jaw dropped. _I'm the only one that's suppose to drop lines like that, _Kate thought, _I didn't even know that he could…_

Jim noticed Kate's sudden silence and he sighed. He slid the book he was reading across the floor over to her side. Kate gingerly picked up the book and she immediately comprehended why Jim was reading a book.

"_The Dangers of the Planet Odysseus_," Kate grinned at Jim, "where did you get this?"

Jim ran his fingers through his hair. "Silver found it and figured it could be of some use to us. So I have been flipping through it and I got to tell ya, Kate, Odysseus is not a fun planet."

Kate started to flip through the book and could already see what Jim was talking about. Pictures of dark lagoons and active volcanoes were present along with the threat of the people who lived on the planet. According to the text the small population that lived on the planet was uncivilized, tough, gruesome creatures who have adapted to the dangers on Odysseus.

"I don't know what you're talking about Jim, the planet seems like loads of fun to me," she told him smirking. "Not scared of some hot lava are you?"

Jim just glared at her but there was a small smile playing on his lips. "Hot lava!? Where?"

Jim and Kate both turned suddenly to see Zoë poking her head through the door with an odd expression on her face. Jim immediately went on the defensive. "Oi! What are you doing here?"

Zoë rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her and looked at Kate. "I got your message," she told her and winked. Kate grinned at the girl who skipped over to where Kate was sitting and sat down next to her. Jim just glared and Zoë sighed. "Silver gave me a little break, so here I am. If ya have a problem wit it bring it to him." She then proceeded to cross her arms and glare back at Jim.

Jim groaned clearly frustrated and stood up. "I'll be back." Then he walked out of room to go talk to Silver. Kate couldn't handle it anymore and busted out laughing along with Zoë.

"That…was…gr-great," Kate admitted during her mirth of laughter. "Thank you so much!" Kate rested the back of her head against the wall and took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Well, you're welcome," Zoë told her, "although I don't understand why you need my help." Kate gave her a strange look and Zoë explained, "I mean that Jim is…well ya know."

Kate raised an eyebrow at her. "I know…what?"

"Well, he's very good looking, if I was in your place I wouldn't be complaining, if ya catch my drift," Zoë gave Kate a little nudge with her elbow. Kate couldn't help but blush and internally agree with Zoë. Yes, James Hawkins was very good looking but also very infuriating.

"That's not the point," Kate told her as Zoë giggled. "I'm only complaining because I don't like being babysat and kept inside this prison all day." Kate gestured to the engine room with her hand and sighed.

Zoë nodded agreeing with her but then gave Kate a knowing smirk and said, "But I'm guessing his good looks don't hurt, right?"

Kate only shrugged her shoulders at her while flipping through the book again this time noticing caverns and old temples. _That may be a good place to start looking…_ mused Kate. She started fiddling with her locket thinking of what they could possibly find on Odysseus. Is it another clue or is this possibly the last stop on her journey? This idea of Odysseus being the location of the treasure excited and terrified Kate. If it was the location and not just another clue; what was she going to do then? Kate wasn't greedy. The only thing she wanted was her freedom. She wanted to be free from being chased all the time and to finally settle down. No more treasure hunts…

"Hello? Kate, stop daydreaming!" Zoë snapped her fingers in front of Kate's face and she blinked.

"Wh-what?!" Kate asked bewildered.

"Ya didn't hear a thing I just said, did ya?" Zoë asked amused.

Kate shook her head looking confused. "I'm sorry, just started thinking of possibilities," she looked back down at the open book. _Maybe I could ask Silver and Jim's opinion later…_

"Oh, I see," Zoë said and Kate's head shot up. Kate did not like her tone of voice. "Well, I can see now I made a mistake. I'll leave ya alone with your _possibilities_," Zoë winked at her as she stood up to leave.

Kate couldn't help but blush at what Zoë was insinuating. "Woah, that is not what I meant," Kate stated looking up at a smirking Zoë.

"Uh-huh girl, sure it wasn't," Zoë winked at her again, "well, since that 'wasn't what you meant,'" Zoë brought her fingers up to show her air quotes, "I'll just be going." Kate just rolled her eyes at the girl.

As Zoë went to reach for the door Jim opened it with a scowl on his face. Zoë and Kate both raised their eyebrows at his expression but then just shook their heads. "See ya around Kate!" Zoë said enthusiastically and then gave a little wave as she walked out. Kate smiled at Zoë retreating back liking the girl's attitude. Then she turned her attention to the scowling Jim. He was sitting in the same spot from before and glaring lasers at the floor.

"I know that look," Kate told him in a knowing tone. Jim looked up at her.

"What are you talking about?" He asked confused.

Kate gave him a small sympathetic smile. "You got a talking to from Silver, didn't you?" Jim's eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped a bit. Kate chuckled at his expression. "Sorry it's easy to spot since I've been getting them for two years now. Want to talk about it?"

"No…no way," Jim answered with what sounded like shocked disgust. "Why do you care anyways?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "Just trying to sympathize with ya but if you don't want to talk about it that's fine." Kate scowled at him but then her expression quickly went to a thoughtful one. "He makes you think though, doesn't he?"

Jim went back to staring at the floor but with a more gentle expression on his features. Kate's mysterious gut feeling came back to her and she jumped a bit surprised at its sudden reappearance. Then her stomach growled and she let out a repressed sigh. Hunger.

"Hungry are we?" Jim asked smirking as he slowly stood up along with Kate who nodded at him. "C'mon the crew has already eaten so I suppose it's alright to go to the galley."

"Oh why thank you so much Master Hawkins, I'm so honored to be able to eat in the galley out of places," Kate told him sarcastically. Jim just rolled his eyes as she continued, "no I mean really, a girl of my standards should be kept away hidden from all the dangers of the real world but I guess since you're coming with me I shall be safe," Kate feigned relief at this notion. Jim grunted at her comment as he guided her to the galley where Silver was already eating his breakfast.

"Ah, a good mornin' to ya, lass," Silver greeted her while placing a plate of fruit and pastries down on a table. Kate smiled at the pirate as she sat down and popped a grape in her mouth. Silver observed her for a moment before stating, "you're in a mighty good mood, Katie, I wonder why," Silver gave her a suggestive look similar to the one Zoë wore before she left.

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "Why is everybody taking that tone with me?" Silver just shrugged at her and she rolled her eyes. "I'm in a good mood because I was just thinking that maybe this is our last stop."

Silver looked back at her with concern filled eyes. "Now don't get cha your hopes up too soon, lass," he warned her. "Ya kno' this could just be another clue."

She nodded. "I know; I sort of have a feeling that this is it, ya know? What do you guys think?"

Jim just shrugged. "I really have no idea," he ran a hand through his hair, "I'm new at this, remember?" He shot a look at Kate who stuck her tongue out at him. "All I know is that it's going to take us months to get to this planet which gives us time to prepare for whatever lies ahead."

"Jimbo's right, Kate we need ta be prepared," he told her seriously, "but knowin' your father like I did…uh I suppose this could be deh last stop on our little hunt. Just don't be disappointed if it's not Katie."

"You're right we need to be prepared for anything," a voice emerged from behind the trio. They turned to see Edmund walk and sit next to Jim on a bench. "But are ya sure Jim that it's going to take months?"

"Positive," Jim answered. "Doc calculated the time schedule this morning. Why do you ask?"

"Well..," Eddie let out a frustrated groan and put his head in his hands. Jim was immediately concerned for his friend. Edmund never was one to be so grumpy; he was always an optimistic spirit no matter what.

"Wha' is it lad?" Silver asked noticing the boy's strange demeanor and tone.

"Have you noticed anything off about the crew?" Eddie's question directed toward Silver caught everyone off guard.

Silver looked thoughtful for a second and then answered, "Nah I don't believe I hav'. Then again we hav' only been sailin' fer a day now. Wha' hav' ya noticed?"

"Nothing bad I suppose," Edmund sighed, "they're just very cliquish and I've been trying to get to know them but it seems like they are all in on some private secret and they are keeping me out of it."

Jim chuckled a bit. "Eddie they are academy trained sailors, of course they're cliquish. Just give it some time." He patted his friend on the back. Kate figured that was a valid excuse considering her experience at the academy.

"I know that Jim, it's just a little…too weird for my liking; besides it's not the entire crew. Zoë's not like that at all," Eddie exclaimed. Kate smiled at Eddie completely agreeing with him.

Silver's tone of voice completely wiped Kate's smile off her face. "We all need ta be more careful," he eyed each one of them making sure they understood, "Kate listen to Jim; don't go anywhere alone, no excuses."

"But-," Kate started to say but Silver cut her.

"I don't wanna hear it Katie. This is not deh time ta be stubborn. Just do as yer told!" Silver raised his voice and his tone grew menacing. Kate was shocked. He never had taken that tone with her before. Never. She stared at Silver her mind blank. Jim's voice barely broke through to her ears.

"Silver, don't yell at her, she doesn't understand," Jim's voice was grim, "and neither do I, so could you please explain before you start your yelling again." Jim stood up and crossed his arms waiting for an explanation. Recognition filled Silver's face as he realized what he had just said.

"Oh, Katie I'm sorry," Silver apologized looking at her pale face, "I didn't mean ta startle ya it's jus'…Jim don't cha remember wha' me crew was like on deh _Legacy_?"

"Well, yeah they were always pushing me around and talking in hushed voices…wait a second," Jim looked at Silver shock etched in his features, "you're not expecting another mutiny are you?"

"I don't kno' lad, but I suggest we all be a little more cautious 'bout who we talk ta, includin' Zoë," Silver added, "now I kno' yer all buddies wit deh lass an' tha's fine jus' be careful now, ya hear?" They all nodded quietly still trying to wrap their minds around another possible mutiny. "Kate an' Jim keep your eyes open on any sailors tha' are tryin' ta get close to ya. Eddie keep your ears an' eyes open, also when yer on deck. I'm gonna go hav' a talkin' to wit deh Cap'n."

Kate wasn't so hungry anymore. No she was actually quite the opposite. She felt sick; her good mood was completely gone. She was angry, confused, and sad. And what made her angrier was the fact that her mysterious gut feeling was still there. _What the hell was it? _Plus, her safe feeling was also gone. Kate shrugged that off as just being part of her bad luck.

"Hey man, feel free to come and talk whenever you get some free time," Jim was talking to an odd looking Edmund who just nodded his head at him staring in the same set of space as Kate was. Jim went and grabbed some food to take with them back to their room. He sighed when he finally set his sights back on Kate. She was still pale in the face and seemed to not mentally be there.

Jim gently helped her up and guided her back to the room. Thankfully unnoticed by any of the crew. He handed her some food but she wouldn't take it. "C'mon now you have to eat something."

Kate shook her head. "Not hungry." She repressed a sigh looking at Jim's solar surfer. "And I'm guessing I'm not going to be allowed to ride that thing now, huh?"

Jim gave her a sad smile. "Sorry," he told her sincerely.

"I hate Silver's little chats," Kate said referring to their conversation from earlier.

Jim chuckled a bit. "Yeah but they make ya think, don't they?" He quoted Kate's response from earlier with a smirk. She playfully smacked him and they both sat down listening to the hum of the engine engrossed in their own thoughts.

Kate was the first one to speak. "Is Eddie okay?" Jim did a double take of Kate to make sure she had actually spoken concern for his friend. Kate noticed Jim's shock in her question and sighed. "Yes, I'm concerned for him, when we left him he looked…he just looked…you know just not himself."

"Yeah, he looked a bit off," Jim ran a hand through his hair, "but he's Eddie; he'll come around. I'm guessing he was a little shocked after Silver's accusation of the crew."

"He was right though; when he said that Zoë isn't like the rest of the crew in that way," Kate stated.

"Well, that could actually be a bad thing," Jim paused as he took in Kate's shocked, angry expression and he put up a hand to say 'let me explain', "I know that you and Eddie like the girl but I'm saying that she could be trying to get close to you to well…ya know..," Jim trailed off.

Kate was aghast and angry at Jim's suspicions toward the pink-haired cabin girl. "Jim there is no way that…Zoë…is well ya know," Kate said harshly. "Besides why would she get close to Eddie too?"

"Hey, I'm not trying to offend you or anybody else. I'm just saying be cautious and don't mention anything about the treasure to her," Jim let out a frustrated sigh. "And Eddie…well I think that he just really likes her."

Kate's eyebrows raised; her angry forgotten. "Really?"

Jim nodded slightly. "I think so, anyways."

"I wanna see it," Kate confessed.

"See what?" Jim asked confused.

"Zoë and Eddie. Interacting. You know…flirting," Kate stopped talking to think for a second, "or do you not know?"

Jim nudged her with his elbow. "Shut it."

**A/N: Oh my God…I am ****so**** sorry for how long this took to get written and the ending of this chapter. I just couldn't find a right spot to stop. I am so excited to write the later chapters because I have some interesting events planned for Jim and Kate. Just wait and see ;) The next chapter may not be out for a while. Again my humble apologies. College college life college family college work…oh did I mention college? Its hard work my fellow readers/writers so be prepared for it. And for those of you that have already graduated; you have my respect.**

**Please leave an honest review at the door. Thanks!**

**Special thanks to my generous reviewers:**

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**SweetAngel183: Thank you! **

**OMGitsEMILY: I'm so glad you love my story because yours is unbelievably AWESOME! If you need any advice on your upcoming college stress let me know. It's going to get more hectic; believe me. I hope you have enjoyed my story as much as I have enjoyed reading yours. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Twelve:**

For the following two weeks everybody on board the _RLS Serenity_ seemed to have adapted a fixed routine. Wake up, eat, work, chat, eat, work, chat, eat, and sleep. Then repeat. The crew recommended by the Academy had no complaints to speak of and seemed to enjoy their time in space.

Silver, Amelia, Doppler, and Ernie Cooper were all deeply aware of the threat of another mutiny and were very concerned and on high alert at all times. They would each take turns watching the crew. Looking for signs of disobedience, suspicious behavior, or mistrust from any sailor.

Edmund Downey spent most of his time trying to fit in with the crew. But no matter how hard he tried they still treated him as an outsider; with the exception of Zoë. Edmund knew the cliques in the Academy were closed off and hard to overcome but he found this ridiculous. It wasn't like the crew didn't like him. No, they were plenty nice to him and they worked well together; but he never had anybody to talk to unless Zoë was around.

Kate and Jim spent most of their time…well with each other; which had its highs and lows. Kate was slowly getting used to the fact of having a "babysitter" while Jim was getting into a routine of a bodyguard.

Despite Silver's warning Kate still retained her freedom. She would constantly sneak out of the engine room to either hang with Zoë helping her out with chores; or joining Eddie in the crow's nest to observe the wonders of the universe. Jim would spend his time trying to find her and once he did, he was so exhausted that instead of dragging her back to the room he would just join her in whatever it was she was doing at the time.

This started a routine between the pair of them. At first it angered Jim that Kate was so damn stubborn to just accept Silver's rule but Jim slowly began to accept Kate's successes of escape and soon started to enjoy them. Not only did her escapes get her out of the engine room but Jim as well. And soon enough, Kate's hiding spots became so scarce that it took Jim less than three minutes to find her and when he did he would just grunt at her and took a spot next to her waiting for them to be found by Silver or worse, Captain Amelia.

During their time together Kate's trust and respect for Jim grew as well did his for her. They slowly became not only more comfortable in each other's presence but they also enjoyed the other's company. Kate also learned that she could tolerate Eddie especially since the pink-haired cabin girl was so fond of him.

Silver had Zoë working till' every part of her body was sore from sun up to sun down. Since Silver still suspected Zoë of being connected to the crew he made sure that Zoë never had a chance to think things through or to talk to any of the crew without him there. When Zoë finally got off from doing her chores for the day, the only people awake on the boat were Kate, Jim, and Eddie and they would let her vent her complaints to them before she would pass out on Kate's bed.

The fifth time it happened Zoë had accidently fallen asleep on Eddie's shoulder while the four of them were chatting in the engine room. Eddie's face had turned bright red which caused Kate and Jim to laugh softly at their friend's expression.

Jim snickered. "What Ed? Never got that close to a girl before?" Eddie glared at Jim and threw one of the tools that were lying around at him and smiled in satisfaction when he heard Jim curse.

"Shut it," Eddie warned, "I don't want to wake her." He glanced at Zoë with a compassionate look on his face.

"Don't worry about it," Kate told him, "if we crashed on some asteroid Zoë would still be sleeping."

Eddie's eyebrows rose. "Really?" He asked looking down at the young girl again a different emotion playing on his features. This time Kate was the one who threw a tool and successfully hitting her target.

"Ouch," Eddie exclaimed rubbing his now sore leg.

Jim chuckled. "Now you know what it feels like."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, pervert," Kate warned Edmund glaring daggers at him. "I think it's time to put the little one to bed."

_If looks could kill, _thought Eddie as he slowly got up to carry Zoë to Kate's bed where she had been staying those few times she had crashed in the room.

Jim looked at Kate thoughtfully for a couple of seconds before saying, "You really care for that girl." It wasn't a question Jim was just making a statement.

"Of course I do," Kate responded anyways.

"Then we should tell her," Edmund stated seriously leaning up against the closed door of Kate's bedroom.

Kate's eyes widen. "No way, out of the question."

"What? You just stated yourself that you care for the girl, so let's bring her onboard so she doesn't have to be out of the loop." Edmund argued his side of the argument waiting for Kate to see reason.

"Yes, I do care for her," Kate said as her temper rose, "which why there is no way I am going to be bring her into this. It's too dangerous and I don't want to be responsible if something happened to her. Besides the only reason you want to bring her onboard is because you don't want to lie to her. Which is sweet of you, Ed, but it's keeping her safe."

"Is this because you and Silver don't trust her?!" Edmund asked losing control of his own anger.

"Weren't you listening?" Kate asked glaring at Eddie, "Trust has nothing to do with it! I'm worried about her safety as you should be too."

"Well she's always with us anyway," Edmund said in a harsh whisper so he wouldn't wake Zoë up despite Kate's assurance before, "whoever is after you will assume that she is already involved, so she is already in danger! I'm just saying she should know what she's getting herself involved in before it's too late." Edmund slammed the engine door behind him leaving a shocked Jim and a fuming Kate.

"Whoa," Jim said, "he must really like Zoë."

Kate just huffed and quickly stood up over to engine and started to fiddle around trying to let loose some of her left over frustration from the conversation. Jim sighed and joined her underneath a part of the exposed engine she was tinkering with. They worked together in silence for a few minutes while Jim thought over what he was going to say to her about the point Edmund had brought up earlier. When Kate had let out an audible sigh of being content at that moment Jim decided it was now or never.

"Eddie just wants everybody to be safe," Jim told her softly.

"Me too," she replied.

"You both made excellent cases but I'm going to have to agree with Edmund," Jim told her cautiously waiting for a reaction. When he didn't get a reply he said, "She's better off knowing than not knowing if something does happen."

Kate surprised Jim. She did not become angry at him for sharing his opinion on the matter at hand. Kate just closed her eyes letting his words hit her while she tried to find a solution that would exclude Zoë from any danger. The only option she saw was to cut Zoë off completely and not even talk to the girl again. That would be cold and Kate immediately opted against the idea. She soon realized that there was no solution, but still one thing bugged her.

"You're right," she said those words so quietly that Jim would have thought he was hearing if he hadn't had seen her mouth move.

"But Silver is also right," she told him more firmly as she stood up and wiped the grease that had appeared on her right cheek. "What if she's the inside girl for the crew?"

Jim's brows furrowed in confusion. "So this is about trust?" He asked her as he stood up looking down at her.

"No," she answered looking up at him, "This is still about safety. Just not hers."

"I don't understand." _If Kate's defense was about Zoë's safety then…_

"What about Ed's safety? Silver's safety? Amelia and the Doc's?" She was whispering fiercely gesturing her hand toward outside of the room. "Jim," she said less harshly, "what about your safety?"

Jim was looking at Kate now in complete and utter shock. Kate was refusing to look at him but she kept talking.

"I know it has been about my safety or in this case Zoë's, but what if by telling her what's really going on," Kate paused and Jim saw fear cross her features, "what if th-that choice ends our lives? I can't take that risk." Kate swallowed as she held back her tears and pushing back memories from Persephone. Choices and consequences was now a main theme in her life and she was hell bent at keeping the consequences part at a minimum.

"That won't happen," Jim's voice broke through her thoughts. Strong and trusting but completely naïve. Because nobody knows what will happen.

Kate shook her head; her auburn curls bouncing around her strained, fearful face. "You don't know that."

Jim couldn't argue with her there. He didn't know what will happen, but he did know they were safe.

Well, at the moment.

"You really think that Zoë is some kind of spy?" He asked her because she seemed convinced of it and he certainly wasn't.

She shrugged her shoulders finally looking at him. "I don't know, but Silver was right. This whole situation with the crew and her being the only one talking to us. It is suspicious."

Jim nodded understanding her point but not wanting to believe it. "But Zoë?! She isn't the type."

Kate gave him a sad smile. "That's what makes a great spy. People would have never guessed it was that person." Jim gave her a disbelieving look and she threw her hands in the air. "I don't want to believe it either, Jim, but if it's true I don't want to risk people's lives any more than I already have. So can you please agree with me that we can't tell Zoë?" She asked desperately turning to completely face him looking into his blue eyes.

"Please?" She asked again and Jim had the urgent desire to say yes to whatever she asked him to do at the moment but he pushed that urge away. He sighed and took a couple seconds to think it over.

"Okay," he answered her. Kate breathed a sigh of relief and was about to thank him when he spoke the 'b' word.

"But," Jim said and Kate internally groaned, "If we find some sound evidence that proves she is not part of any conspiring crew against us. We tell her. Okay?"

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her dark eyes as she thought this over. She bit her lip and Jim automatically looked down at her lips wishing he didn't. Amelia was right when she said that Kate was beautiful and being this close to her was dangerous territory for him. They had gotten closer over the past two weeks but not that close and Jim did not want to cross that line. No matter how much his instincts were telling him to. She finally looked back up at Jim ready to answer his question.

"Fine," she whispered and Jim relaxed, thankful that he had found a compromise.

"Ok," Jim agreed. "Now are you okay?" He asked her searching her face.

She nodded and Jim pulled her into a hug. She was a bit stiff at first but then relaxed into his hug; letting herself be comforted which was rare for Kate. The only person that had comforted her in the past two years had been Silver, which showed how much trust Kate now had in Jim.

"Thank you," she told him.

Jim chuckled and Kate could feel his chest rumble. "For what?"

"For not being the arrogant jerk I thought you were," Kate explained with a smirk.

"Night, Kate," Jim told her playfully shoving her off of him.

"Night."

* * *

Kate was having a pleasant dream and she unconsciously murmured a sigh of contentment into her pillow. She was smiling and had both of her arms wrapped around her pillow clearly enjoying the dream. Too bad, however, that Zoë decided to wake up Kate from her delightful dream.

"C'mon wake up sleepy head," Zoë told her while playfully whacking Kate with a pillow which resulted in a groan from Kate followed by Kate pulling her head under her pillow trying to escape the pink-haired girl's voice.

There was a muffled murmur from underneath the pillow and Zoë cocked her head to side and said, "Sorry didn't quite catch that."

Kate suddenly sat up to face her and smacked Zoë with her own pillow which caused Zoë to fall to the floor. "Ouch," Zoë exclaimed.

"Well, that's what you get from me when you wake me up and I was having a really good dream," Kate whined and pouted as Zoë stood up to look at Kate with a growing smirk on her face.

_Oh God, _Kate thought, _what is she going to tease me about now…?_

"Oh believe me Kate," Zoë said teasingly, "I know."

"Now what is that suppose to mean?" Kate asked already dreading the answer.

"You were dreaming about a guy," Zoë said this as a statement not an accusation. She already knew it was a fact and she wiggled her eyebrows at the now red-faced brown-eyed girl.

Kate was about to open her mouth to deny it but Zoë caught this and interrupted her before she could get a word out.

"Don't bother tryin' to deny the fact, Kate," Zoë told her firmly, "believe me I know when a girl is dreaming about a boy." With that Zoë playfully pounced on Kate's bed and said, "now spill it, girl."

Kate needed a distraction and looked around the room until she found the clock and her jaw dropped. "Zoë!" She exclaimed at the now wide eyed girl. "I don't have to be up for another couple of hours," Kate said irritated as she lay back down on the bed but Zoë wasn't going to buy it.

"Oh no, girl," she told Kate while bouncing up and down on the bed, "nice try but I really wanna know this. That's why I woke you and I am sorry but I really really really really..,"

Zoë was interrupted by a pillow hitting her straight in the face. "Go find Silver," Kate commanded with grunt.

Zoë then grew more suspicious. "Wait," she said, "what time did you get in last night?"

"I don't know," Kate replied into her pillow, "why does it matter?"

"It's Jim, isn't it?" Zoë didn't really phase it as a question and a huge smirk grew on her face.

Kate yawned already at the point of falling asleep again. "Jim what?"

"Jim's the boy you were dreaming about!" Zoë practically yelled and Kate shot straight up again but this time she took Zoë gently by the arm and guided her to the door.

"No," Kate told her harshly, "but can you yell that louder I don't think the rest of the crew heard you!"

Zoë covered her mouth with her hand and gave Kate an innocent look. "Oops, sorry," she apologized.

"Now go find Silver," Kate commanded again this time pointed toward the room's exit.

Zoë gave her a look of disappointment. "Okay, fine," she agreed reluctantly walking toward the exit, "but you're telling me more later, missy." Zoë called over her shoulder as she left.

Kate shook her head at the girl's antics and was about to turn back into her room when she heard Jim's own door open. "Wha's goin' on?" The sound of Jim's voice made Kate jump a bit and look back.

_Damn it, _Kate cursed mentally as red flowed into her face once again but for a different reason.

Jim was shirtless and his hair was ruffled from sleep causing Jim to look more adorable and Kate had to shake herself so she could focus.

"Uh..," she said brilliantly, "well, Zoë was...uh well being Zoë….sorry." Kate apologized to him while trying to keep her eyes focused on his face instead of wandering downward.

Jim smirked at her. "Okay," he said with a yawn as he walked back into his own room.

Kate returned to her own bed thinking about the morning where she stunned Jim into silence.

"Karma's a bitch," she muttered before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Kate woke up two hours later wishing she had another couple hours to sleep some more. She groaned and slowly got ready for the day; wincing as she flexed her right hand.

_What the hell?_ She thought knowing that she hadn't done anything to deserve that kind of pain from her right hand. _Maybe I banged it against something while I was sleeping?_

Kate shrugged it off and went to open her door to find a note taped onto it from the inside of her room.

_KK-_

_Went to see Edmund about a longboat problem. Be back later._

_But knowing you…I'll see ya soon._

_-J_

"KK?" Kate asked out loud. She wasn't an idiot. She knew KK was her initials but nobody had ever called her that before. Kate threw away the note and thought she'd go join them at the longboats. Hell, she was a mechanic too. She can help just as much as Jim could.

When she got to the longboats, there was no Edmund in sight. Just a grunting James Hawkins underneath one of the longboats.

She chuckled. "Ya know I could have probably helped you with that." Jim banged his head startled by Kate's voice and came out from underneath the longboat to glare at her.

"Whoa," Kate said surprised by his intense glare and the bruise forming on his left cheek. "Who did you piss off?"

Jim's hand tentatively rubbed his sore face. "Apparently you." Kate's jaw dropped at his accusation and Jim smiled weakly at her. "What? Don't remember?"

"No." Kate shook her head and looked at her right hand.

"Yeah that's why you're hand hurts," he told her, "now come on, I need your help." Jim went back underneath the longboat.

Kate joined him and they worked in silence for a few minutes before Kate let out a loud gasp and covered her hand with her mouth.

"You tired to wake me up this morning," she stated looking at Jim.

"Finally remembered, huh?" He said with a chuckle. "Pass me that compression coil."

Kate passed the part Jim asked for and then said, "I punched you," she looked at her hand and then laughed.

"Find that funny, do ya?" Jim asked as he fastened the part into the longboat.

"Yes," she told him still laughing, "very much so."

Jim gave her a look and pointed one finger at his bruised face. Kate stopped her laughing and then said, "but I am also so very sorry." She flashed him an innocent smile as she exited the bottom of the longboat and stood up.

Soon after, Jim stood up too, and fired up the longboat. He smiled when the longboat successfully started up and inspected it again to see if the whole machine had any more nicks.

"It's all good," Kate told him as she took out her ponytail.

"Hey," both Jim and Kate jumped when Ed's unexpected greeting out them off guard. "What are you guys still doing here?"

"Sorry Ed took longer than I thought it would," Jim explained.

"No it's not that," Eddie told them as he shook his head, "you two better get back, Silver's looking for ya."

"Shit," Kate cursed as she walked past Edmund followed quickly by Jim.

"Silver's going to give me another 'talking to' if we get caught," Jim told her and then added with a roll of his eyes, "again."

"Oh shut up," she told him as they walked down the main hallway, "you enjoy it as oomph-"

Kate was cut off by Jim's hand covering her mouth. She mumbled into it waiting for an explanation.

"Shush," Jim said, "listen." Kate listened for a few seconds and then her eyes widened. She could hear Captain Amelia and Mr. Cooper having a conversation coming towards the two of them. Being caught out of the engine room by Silver was one thing; but being caught by the Captain was ten times worse.

"Come on," Jim whispered in her ear as he dragged her into a well-place closet in the hallway. There was barely enough room for the two, but they made it work. Kate had to pretty much lean completely against Jim's chest causing Jim to lean against the wall of the closet for support. He awkward wrapped his arms around Kate's waist as they both listened as Amelia and Mr. Cooper passed their hiding spot.

They both let out a sigh of relief when Amelia and Mr. Cooper passed them unknowingly and turned the corner.

"Thank God," Kate murmured into Jim's shirt which caused him to laugh.

"You'd think we were hiding from someone who actually wanted to harm us," he told her.

"Who said they didn't want to harm us?" Kate asked smirking up at him.

Jim laughed again and looked down at her and then it hit him. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her, right then, screwing the consequences. They were already pressed up against each other; it would take one move of his head to make it happen.

Kate saw Jim's expression change as he looked at her. She knew that look and it scared her seeing that look on Jim's face.

_It cannot happen. Not here and definitely not now, _Kate thought.

She quickly reacted by turning so she could open the closet door and return to the engine room; but Jim's hold on her waist stopped her from leaving.

"Jim, let me go," she commanded her voice fierce as she glared at him. But Jim wasn't looking at her; he was looking into space as if trying to concentrate on something.

Then Kate heard what Jim was concentrating so hard on. Two more people were talking in harsh voices approaching their hiding spot. Kate froze as she recognized one of the voices as Zoë's.

"That is not why you're there and you know it," a rough male voice was telling Zoë.

"No, I'm there 'cause I actually like her," she told him.

Kate jumped into Jim as she heard the sound of a hand connecting with someone's face. Zoë's face.

"You're there to collect information for the boss man," he explained to her, "you know what could happen to you, hell to all of us if he doesn't get what he wants. And what he wants is all the information _you _can get on the Kayser girl and the damn treasure."

Jim and Kate could hear Zoë whimpering as the unknown man threatened her.

"I've told ya all I know," she whispered in a weak voice.

"Well, that ain't good enough," he told her, "don't mess this up Ferris."

And with that last threat the conversation was over and Zoë and the unknown man went their separate ways unaware of their audience.

"I can't believe it," Jim said with a sigh, "she really is a spy."

"Yeah, but she doesn't want to be," Kate told him. "She's being threatened." Kate was stone-faced; cold and hard. Ready to take down the bastard that just threatened the pink-haired cabin girl.

"You okay?" Jim asked concerned.

"No," Kate forced out and before Jim could say anything else she added, "come on. Let's go find Silver and let him know what we heard."

They slowly walked back to the room together engrossed in their own thoughts. So engrossed that when they walked back into the room they did not notice Silver standing against the wall with his arms crossed. It wasn't until Morph came up to Kate and tugged on her hair that she saw him.

"Oh," Kate said startled, "hey Silver, could we possibly skip getting the lecture today?"

Silver didn't say anything; in fact he looked deeper in thought than Kate was before Morph attacked her hair. He had a grim look on his features and he seemed to be concentrating very hard on something.

"What is it, Silver?" Jim asked already aware that something else was bothering the pirate.

"Kate grab yer weapons an' make sure ya hav' yer locket on ya," Silver commanded finally looking up at the pair.

"I always have my locket on me," Kate replied slowly, "and why would I need my weapons?"

Silver sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand clearly stressed. "One o' deh crew spotted an incomin' vessel an' by deh looks o'it deh ship is carryin' pirates."

Kate's face hardened as she thought through of what could happen. But one thing was certain.

The _RLS Serenity_ was about to be commandeered by pirates.

**A/N: Okay I do believe this is the longest chapter I have written so I hope you enjoyed it :D**

**I hope this will feel the time between this update and the next one.**

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**Thanks to the last reviewers:**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Thirteen:**

"How long do we have?" Kate asked Silver as she slipped on her holster. Silver gave her a look of amusement and looked at Jim before answering.

"_We_," Silver pointed at Jim and back at himself, "hav' a few minutes before they come 'bout Serenity ta prepare." Silver gave Kate a knowing look, "ya lass, hav' ta get down in deh hidey-hole right 'bout now."

"But-"

"No, Silver's right," Jim told her. "Come on," Jim said as he dragged her unwillingly through the crevice. He gave Silver a nod of the head to show that he had Kate taken care up and that he would meet him on deck after he made sure she was safe.

Kate slapped Jim's hands away from her arms. "You got to stop doing that!" She told him as she rubbed her arms where Jim had left imprints of his hands. "Did ya have to grip so hard?"

"Well, you are too stubborn to get down there on your own," Jim told her crossing his arms and giving her a knowing look.

Kate glared back at him. "Listen, I can help," she told him, "you know very well that I can fight. Come on you got to let me help, please."

Jim gave her a small smile and said, "That is not the point and you know it." Kate put out her bottom lip in a pout. "Don't start that," he told her, "this is about making sure you are not seen. For all we know, they are just passing by."

"Did you bang your head while we were in that closet?" Kate asked him as she looked at him dumbfounded. "Did you not hear what that dirt bag said? Of course they're not just passing us by!"

"Maybe," Jim shrugged and at Kate's shocked expression explained, "but either way you have to get down there till' it's safe and if that's means dragging you down there then so be it." Jim stepped closer to her and burned his eyes in hers to show his seriousness.

Kate's mouth opened a bit and her eyebrows rose as her eyes widened shocked by Jim's words and actions. "Wha..," Kate couldn't form words. She knew Jim. She got to know him pretty well over the past couple of weeks. They teased each other, made fun of Eddie together, and they both knew machinery pretty damn well. He was stubborn, smart, and caring in his own still rebellious teenager way. She had gotten used to the light in his eyes; but the Jim she was facing now did not have that same light.

It suddenly struck her that maybe Jim was hardened just as she was. Experiences shape a person and when that person builds walls, protecting oneself and when that person is at that point in one's life when that person is threatened into fight mode, said person hardens. That's what Jim had done. In less than a minute there was somebody else standing before Kate and she had no idea how to deal with this Jim.

She kept thinking if she looked the same way when she would harden and prepare herself for any kind of fight. Kate would have to ask Silver later, if they survived this incoming threat.

Kate sighed. "Fine," she gave in. "I'm going." But she didn't make a move to turn around.

"Can you promise me something?" She asked him.

"Depends," Jim told her, "I can't promise you something that I have no control over."

"Well, just try and not get yourself killed. Stick with Silver. And if things get too rough and dangerous get as many people as you can and come down here or just to the longboats." Kate told him in a serious yet desperate tone.

Jim really looked at her. "You really are scared."

"Of course I am. I am only human." Kate reminded him.

"Silver has told me stories of your ability to just become emotionless and survive through anything, without fear," Jim clearly was confused, "and now you look scared out of your wits."

"Well, right back at you Hawkins," she told him. "It's a fight tactic. Never let your enemies know how scared you really are. And since I'm not going to be fighting," Jim had to smile at her grimace as the prospect of not fighting actually registered with her, "I have the right to show how truly fearful I am."

Jim nodded at her and was about to say something else but the shout of 'Pirates' throughout the ship cut the conversation short. Jim glared at Kate and gestured toward the slide but she didn't budge.

"You didn't promise," she told him as she stubbornly crossed her arms to show she wasn't going anywhere till' he promised.

Jim sighed. "How 'bout I'll do my best." He bargained.

"Good enough I suppose," Kate said, "well I guess I'll see you later."

Jim did a double take. "'See you later?'" He quoted back at her. "You are aware of the pirates, right?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course," she replied, "I just want to be more optimistic about situations like this; goodbye just seems so final. See you later, well, there's hope."

Jim shot one last smile toward the dark-eyed girl before saying, "Then I'll be seeing you later," he told her and then turned around to face the darkness.

* * *

On the deck of the _RLS Serenity_ there was chaos. The crew was busy running around the ship preparing it for whatever damage that may occur as they grabbed their weapons from the arsenal. Captain Amelia and Mr. Cooper were busy shouting orders trying to keep the chaos under control. Silver and Jim were hanging back watching the action unfold in front of their eyes.

"What would you do?" Jim suddenly asked Silver.

Silver raised an eyebrow at the question. "Care explainin' s'more?" He questioned Jim back.

"If you were the Captain of the boat of pirates heading toward us," Jim explained, "what would you do in his position?"

Silver took a minute to think carefully on Jim's question as he watched the approaching boat get closer to them. "If it were myself," Silver began, "I would demand Kate be brought ta me an' then I would threaten ta destroy deh ship an' its crew if she ain't brought ta me willingly."

"And if your demand wasn't fulfilled?" Jim asked the experienced pirate.

"Then me threat would be fulfilled." Silver stated as his brows furrowed in concentration as if he was picturing the entire scene in front of him. "I would hav' me crew kill anyone on board tha' would stand between myself an' deh girl."

Jim's frown deepened as he took in Silver's words trying to find a loophole. "Have you done that before?" He asked Silver.

Silver chuckled sadly. "Don't cha remember lad?" Silver questioned him. "Tha's wha' almost happened on deh _Legacy_. I t'ink tha' plan is probably one o' deh best we pirates are able ta come up wit." He shook his head as if disappointed.

Jim looked at him stunned as he came to the realization that Silver was completely right. That was exactly Silver's plan those years ago. If Jim had not gotten in the way Silver may have done just that.

"So you think it is likely that these pirates will do just that?" Jim asked.

"Most like," Silver replied. "Let's just hope tha' we can tak'em."

Silver was referring to themselves and the whole crew; and Jim thought that their odds were pretty good considering some of the sizes of their crew members but then a thought disturb him. He remembered what Kate and himself overheard just minutes ago and started telling Silver about it in hushed, whispered words. When Jim was done with his story Silver's cyborg eye was red.

"Well tha' certainly changes a few t'ings," Silver let out in a growl. "I guess we can't tak'em now, can we?"

Jim wasn't so sure. He shook his head. "From the conversation it seems as though they are just looking for information." Silver nodded in serious agreement. "But we have no time for this discussion now," Jim told him as the screams from incoming pirate ship were close enough to be heard.

The pirates onboard were yelling insults and such at the crew. Everybody on _Serenity_ just faced the opposing ship stone-faced and silent waiting for the further instructions from the Captain. Out of all the momentary madness Jim made an observation that surprised him for second. There on the pirate's ship along with all the other species of creatures was that red-haired dwarf.

"Perfect," Jim said sarcastically as he heard the charging of his pistol come to an end.

"Wha's it now?" Silver asked as he glared at their enemy.

"That red-haired dwarf is onboard," Jim informed him, "that same crew must have tracked us somehow."

The dwarf spotted Jim's glance and shot him a toothy grin combined with a deathly stare. _Great_, Jim thought, _he is definitely coming after me first_. Jim glared back at him as his hand traveled toward a sword that he now carried around thanks to the first experience he had with the red head.

"Hm," Silver mused, "looks like a midget ta me." Silver chuckled and Jim couldn't help but smile at the pirate's attempt at loosening the tension.

"Wait a minute," Jim said suddenly looking around him. "Where's Morph?"

"Ah, I had him go wit Kate," Silver told him. "He was never a fan o'deh fightin' an' such."

Jim nodded as he had to revert his attention back to the other ship as a tall, muscular, blonde haired reptile came into view. This reptile was no ordinary alien and Jim had never met one before because they were said to be endangered. They were referred to as the Blue Backed Reptiles and were said to be extremely tough and athletic. A creature to be feared and respected.

The Captain's skin glisten a dark blue color and he had sharp cheekbones that highlighted his black beady eyes which seemed to take in every face of the crew aboard the _RLS Serenity_. When he spoke his voice was harsh and demanding:

"I suppose y'all already kno' why we are here?" He asked bemused at the expressions he received. "Yes, I am aware o'deh girl hiding somewhere on dis ship an' I would like her brought over ta my ship wit'out a fuss, understood?"

"Now see here," Captain Amelia spoke up with her loud, commanding voice. "We don't have any girl hiding on the ship, as far as I am concerned. Everybody onboard is present on deck." Amelia waved her hand around to show the entire crew that was on deck.

"Ah, so we are gonna do it deh hard way, eh?" The pirate Captain mumbled as he looked around on the deck. "Do ya t'ink I'm tha' dumb?" He then pointed straight at Silver.

"Captain John Silver is always wit tha' girl an' wit other sources I hav' obtained believe me Captain, I _know_ tha' that girl is on dis ship. So ya can either give her ta us or we'll have ta force her out by means o' killin' y'all." The end of his speech was met with a cheer from his crew already ready to take as many lives as they can get at.

"You can search the ship but I can assure you there is no girl hiding on my vessel. Silver being here is irrelevant." Captain Amelia responded and Jim internally groaned as he fingered the trigger on his pistol. That was not what the pirate Captain wanted to hear.

"So be it," he told Amelia and shook his head as if disappointed. "Al'ight boys," he turned around toward his crew, "I want tha' girl on dis ship alive an' unharmed. Do wha' ya wish wit deh rest o' them."

All at once everybody on board the _RLS Serenity_ tensed up; ready to hold their ground as the pirate crew cheered and hastily charged the vessel. Jim immediately took out his already charged pistol and fired several well-aimed shots. Less than ten seconds into the battle and three pirates were already down for the count. Jim noticed others go down as well. Apparently Amelia and Silver were smart enough to have their weapons already fully charged and prepared.

Jim smirked as he made his way through the crowd of pirates and the crew of _Serenity_. He quickly assessed that some members of the pirate crew were not all quick thinkers when it came to fighting. Yeah, they were violent, cruel, and they knew how to operate their weaponry well; but without some of the training that was installed in Jim at the Academy, they were definitely lacking. Although there were a few in the mist of the battle Jim could spot that were quickly making their way through the sailors of _Serenity_. Among those pirates were the pirate Captain and the red-haired dwarf.

They definitely knew how to fight using their brawns and their brains. Jim's smirk quickly disappeared when he heard the unmistakable sound of metal tearing through flesh and the cry that followed. Quickly turning his sight to that direction he spotted the dwarf smirking evilly at Edmund who had just fallen due to a bloody shoulder and stars know what else he had gotten injured.

"No!" Jim heard a shriek of agony and fury. He tore his eyes away from Eddie to see something pink sprint its way toward the fallen crew member. Jim's eyes widen as he recognized the 'pink sprint thing' to be Zoë. He was about to command her to stay away from where Eddie was but it was already too late. She was already beside him putting pressure on his wounded shoulder.

Jim saw everything as if it was in slow motion and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. He was on the other side of the battle and his pistol had run out of its charge. Stubborn as always he started to make his way toward them knocking anyone down that got in his way – friend or foe. In a blink of an eye he saw the dwarf take a stance behind Zoë. Another blink and he was positioning his sword along her neck and then…

"Stop!" A cry came out of nowhere. At first Jim thought Zoë had screamed it because the cry was desperate and feminine; but he never saw her mouth move. Everybody in the battle promptly froze in less than minute and looked up. Jim never really understood why. In the end he chalked it up to curiosity and the person that cried the command.

"Enough!" The voice cried again and Jim quickly looked toward the other side of the ship. His jaw dropped. Standing on the edge of the ship, aiming two pistols in two separate directions was Kate.

One was aimed toward the dwarf who still had his sword to Zoë's neck and the other was pointed toward Jim. The latter mentioned did a double take. Why would Kate aim one of her pistols at her own bodyguard? Kate was looking in his direction and her face was contorted in fear and pain. But Kate wasn't looking straight at Jim; she was looking somewhere behind him. So, Jim hesitantly looked behind him and gulped.

He was so focused on Edmund and Zoë that he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings when he started running toward them. The pirate Captain had a charged pistol aimed straight at Jim's head, clearly ready to fire.

"Ah, my dear Miss Kayser, I presume," the pirate Captain's voice rang out, "lovely fer you ta finally show up. An' at deh perfect moment I see."

Kate's eyes narrowed in his direction. "Put. Your weapons down." She commanded in a fierce tone of voice. The pirate Captain lowered his weapon away from doing any harm but still kept it ready in his claw-like hand. He waved the other and his crew copied his movement; lowering their weapons but not disarming by any means.

He chuckled. "Dearie, deh only way me crew an' I will completely disarm is if ya come wit us," he replied. "In fact," he continued, "deh only way no more o' yer friends gettin' hurt is if ya come wit us. So wha' will it be, love?"

"Actually I have a better solution," Kate told him in a monotone. Jim frowned and looked at Silver who was also frowning up at Kate. Her tone of voice did not sound like her at all.

The pirate Captain smirked at her. "An' wha' will tha' be, my dear?"

"Only one has to die and both crews will go on their merry way without any more injuries or killings," she informed him again in the same tone.

He chuckled at her again. "In case ya didn't know, love. Ya killin' me will not solve yer problem."

"Who said anything about killing you?" Kate quickly snapped at him.

His smirk quickly fell. "T'en why don't cha tell us who you are referrin' ta, lass."

Kate took a deep breath and quickly repositioned the aim of one of her pistols. The other was still pointed at the pirate Captain. But where the other was repositioned to made everybody's jaw drop.

"There ain't no point in any o' this without me is there?" Kate asked in a sad tone. She had the pistol pointed to the side of her head, right behind her left ear. After a collective silence, shouts started to be heard at this new proposition:

"She's bloody insane!"

"Nah she's lying, she is!"

"Katharine Kayser this is not a solution to any problem!"

"Katie, don't cha even t'ink 'bout it fer a moment!"

"I say jus' let 'er!"

After a few moments Kate decided to reply. "Shut it," she yelled, "all of you! Yes this is the perfect solution. I finally get to escape the chaos that is my life and in the process save some lives." At some of the perplexed looks she got Kate continued. "Did you all really think that a girl would want to live this way? God, I am so tired and sick of all this chasing around and killing just for the sake of some treasure. Treasure that may or may not be all that spectacular. I'm sick of hurting people I care about." Kate visibly gulped and her eyes started to water. "And I miss my dad. I just want it all to be over."

She dropped the pistol that was aimed at the pirate Captain as if it was red hot. "With me gone there is no more treasure hunting to be done." And with that final statement Kate's body fell off the ship and a pistol shot rang out in the dead silence.

* * *

**Yes, another cliffhanger. Please don't kill me.**

**I am so sorry that this took so long to get out. But in the past month I have had three exams, two quizzes, three writing assignments, and a long paper that I had to get done first. Plus a LOT of reading. I hope I didn't disappoint in my latest installment. **

**Again, it may take awhile for the next chapter to appear…so patience. **

**Thanks to my fellow fangirl OMGitsEMILY for all of her support and reviews. I'm glad you are addicted to mine as I am of your story :D and long reviews are amazing so no need for apologies.**

**OH! By the way, please please pretty please press the review button. Seriously all I got was one review last chapter and that really is not enough encouragement. So please, if you like it, love it, or even hate it please give me your thoughts. Even one word reviews are awesome.**

**Press it!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Fourteen:**

There was an eerie long moment of silence after Kate had fallen that took place. Everybody was frozen in disbelief for that moment staring in the spot that Kate was just previously standing at. Not until Silver and the pirate Captain ran toward the edge of the vessel to look down. They were both hoping that Kate was still alive and just hanging on a part of the ship. Both for different reasons. Everybody else waited in the background hoping for a positive sign of reassurance that she was still alive. Again, both crews for separate reasons.

"Damnit ta deh stars above," the blue skinned Captain snarled. "Al'ight boys back ta deh ship."

Silver remained standing by the edge of _Serenity_ covering his face with his hands. The rest of _Serenity_'s crew watched silently as the pirates left the ship and blast off. Amelia shook her furiously and ran to look over the edge next to Silver.

"She's not th-there," Amelia said shakily. "There's not even a sign or anything that would indicate..," she trailed off as she looked around the faces of the crew. For the most part every member of the crew was injured; by the looks of it Edmund Downey had the worst injury. Luckily everybody was alive but the crew's wounds needed to be attended to.

"Captain I suggest that we focus on the medical needs of the crew," Mr. Cooper said aloud as he went to assist Zoë with Eddie's shoulder wound.

"Agreed," Amelia said and walked away toward the galley. "Mr. Silver and Mr. Hawkins may I have a word with you." Silver slowly looked up from his hands and numbly followed Amelia along with Jim.

Jim hadn't said anything since Kate had fallen; he didn't even show a significant glance toward anyone. He was in shock. Plain and simple; just like everyone else. _There is no way in hell Kate would kill herself. It didn't happen, _Jim kept thinking over and over again.

Once Silver and Jim had found a spot to sit in the galley Amelia looked at them and sighed. "Gentlemen," she started, "I need you to answer me honestly." Silver and Jim have had their heads in their hands but when Amelia finished their statement they both looked up.

"Was Katharine's little, uh, stunt all part of a plan?" She asked looking directly into their faces. Silver's brows rose and his mouth dropped a bit. Jim's features didn't change. He was hoping the same thing that Amelia was asking. That this was all part of an act.

"A stunt?! Katie jus' died, nah she killed 'erself not even minutes ago an' yer callin'it a stunt?!" Silver bellowed and then he lowered his voice. "She killed 'erself fer deh sake 'o deh crew an' our lives. No, Cap'n it wasn't part 'o a plan."

Amelia nodded. "I'm sorry if what I said offended you, I just needed to make sure that she was really…," Amelia trailed off.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Silver looked at Jim. He was positively pale and unusually quiet.

"Jim," Silver called and Jim just blinked at him. "You okay lad?"

"It just doesn't make any sense," Jim said and Amelia and Silver both looked at him waiting for more of an explanation. "I mean Kate wasn't suicidal and if she was wouldn't she have left you the locket?" Jim asked Silver.

"I dunno," he answered, "I would t'ink so. Why?"

"Well Kate had it on her when she fell," Jim explained.

"She probably figured just like those pirates did," Amelia said softly. "Without _her_ than nobody can find the treasure even with the locket."

"Nah," Silver told her with certainty. "Kate never really thought tha'. She always believed tha' any treasure could be found wit clues includin' 'er father's. An' I can bet me own life on it tha' Kate wouldn't want all 'o wha' we went through ta be fer not'ing. She would 'ave left me deh locket."

"But she didn't," Jim said, "like I said she had it on her when she fell." He paused to look at them both. "That's why this does not make any sense."

"You can say this doesn't make any sense; that doesn't make this any less real," Mr. Cooper said sadly as came to join them in the galley. "All crew members have or they are still being treated for injuries. Mr. Downey lost a lot of blood but he should be just fine."

Jim let out a sigh that at least he had saved one of his friends.

"Yer t'inkin' tha' our reasonin' is wrong because we are grieving?" Silver asked the first mate.

"Maybe. In cases of suicide the love ones are usually the last to know and they usually try to make sense of it all," Ernie explained with a sad sigh.

"But she didn't have any signs of somebody who was suicidal," Jim told him harshly. "She was happy."

Everybody turned to face Jim bewildered. "What?" He asked them. "She was."

"Ya jus' seem so certain 'o it Jim," Silver informed him.

"Yeah, so? Didn't you think she was happy?" Jim retorted.

Silver nodded. "Yes o'course I did." Then Silver grew hesitant. "Well, fer deh time being tha' is. Katie would always become, uh, detached from everyone, includin' meself when t'ings were goin' down, ya know?"

Everybody nodded in agreement. There was another moment of silence before Amelia spoke:

"I believe gents that Katharine's death was more of a sacrifice than anything else." Amelia started to pour some drinks and pass them around. "Not a suicide. Not murder. Kate sacrificed herself to save our lives." She raised her glass. "To Kate Kayser."

"So it's true then," Zoë said quietly from the entrance into the galley as everybody took a gulp of their drink. "Ka-Kate is really…, oh my God, de-dead." Zoë burst into sobs.

"Ah lass, don't cha start yer cryin' she saved yer life. Hell, she saved us all! Katie wouldn't want cha ta be sad," Silver chastised Zoë in a sad tone as if he was about to break too.

It was then, while everybody was focused on Zoë that Morph entered the room. He wildly looked around the galley until he found his target.

"Ouch Morph!" Jim exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head where the blob had poked him hard. Morph came around to face Jim and turned into a red flag and waved himself around Jim's head. _An emergency. _

Jim went immediately on alert and left the galley to follow Morph. Morph was quivering and zooming around so fast that Jim had to struggle to keep up.

When they entered the hallway below the galley Jim grew even more curious. "Morph what is going on?" He didn't even turn to glance at Jim's question which made Jim frustrated.

Morph was heading toward the longboats Jim had realized during his mid-chase after the pink blob. When they finally arrived by the longboats Jim didn't see anybody or anything wrong. "Morph, what..," Jim was about to ask but stopped mid-way when he noticed that Morph was nowhere in sight.

"Morph?" Jim called his little friend looking around but finding nothing. A moment passed before the pink blob shot out seemingly out of nowhere and look at Jim.

"Kate….Kate….Kate," Morph was repeating shifting into a huge foam finger and pointing to the place below of where Morph was floating.

It took Jim a second to recognize what Morph had just said before he quickly ran over to Morph's location. He was behind some large boxes that covered a fifth of the longboat area. Jim took some time to move some boxes before seeing what—no who –Morph was making a fuss over.

Jim's jaw dropped and he immediately dropped himself next to the injured girl. "Kate?!" Jim exclaimed as he checked her pulse and turned her face to see if she was conscious.

She slowly opened her eyes. "Hey," she whispered and then she furrowed her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

Jim was baffled. "'What's wrong?!' Kate! Everybody thinks you're dead!"

"Well, obviously I'm not," she told him as she tried to shift herself. "Ow, I don't think being dead would be this painful-," Jim cut her off with a look and Kate features turned apologetic. "Oh, is it too soon to be sarcastic?"

Jim gave her a tight forced smile as he looked her over. There was no way she could move on her own so there must be something wrong that Jim could not see. All Jim could see was a large bruise starting to form on her right wrist – probably strained – and some starches on Kate's face. Her right leg looked like there was something wrong with it. It looked limped and set in an odd direction.

"Wow, you're really upset," she said. "Hey Jim, look at me. Stop checking me over, I'll be fine."

He finished his assessment before he finally looked up to meet Kate's dark eyes. "What else hurts?"

Kate scowled at him. "To be honest?" Jim nodded.

"Everything Jim if you knew what I just put myself through you would understand." Jim's expression became more tensed and Kate realized she had made a mistake telling him that. "I just mean that I am incredibly sore and I think.., uh that I broke a couple of ribs."

"Okay I have to get you out of here and to the Doc," Jim told her. Kate wrapped her good arm around Jim's neck as he lifted her off the ground.

"Yeah I don't want to die twice," she replied with a small grin but at Jim's frown she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry that I made everyone think that I died but it was the only-," she was cut off by a shot of pain which made her groan. Jim froze in his movement and looked down at her.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing Ji-Jim," she gritted through her teeth. "Just keep mo-moving."

"Not if you're in pain," he told her stubbornly.

Kate rolled her eyes. "The pain is gone now, Jim. What's with you?! I'm fine, really I am."

"You. Katharine Kayser are far from 'fine' acting like faking your death was a joke while everybody was grieving for your loss. Everybody already lost you once and I am not going to be the one to tell them that we lost you again because I moved you the wrong way. That is what's wrong with me. I can't lose you again so you are going to be a good little injured girl and behave damnit."

Jim finished his rant just as he got to the engine room. Luckily they didn't run into any crew; but unfortunately they didn't run into the Doc either. Jim placed Kate on her bed and watched as she crossed her arms at him.

"What now?" He asked irritated.

"I am not a little girl." Jim rolled his eyes. "And I'm truly sorry." She yawned as she sank into the soft surface. "I'm a gonna fall asleep, is that okay?"

"Yeah I'll have the Doc look you over and you'll some explaining to do when you wake up," Jim told her and he couldn't help but grin when he noticed that she was already passed out and breathing deeply.

_It really didn't happen._ Jim thought happily.

* * *

**Yeah, it's short and I'm not quite sure if I am entirely happy with it.**

**So please give me some reviews to let me know how I'm doing PLEASE!**

**Next chapter will be how Kate accomplished what she pulled off by the way. ;)**

**OMGitsEMILY****: Hahaha. I hope this was soon enough for you even though it was really short but I think it answered a pretty big question. Of course they haven't kissed yet. They are both stubborn characters and Kate is scared. But it will happen…sometime. Thanks again!**

**MistressTaco****: Sexy?!? Really? I really want to ask why but you said not to so…I'm just going to say gee thanks! Haha. I like that word!**

**Okay anymore reviewers please? Yes! Okay then press the damn button!**

**Please and thanks!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Fifteen:**

It took a while for Jim to convince Doc, Silver, Amelia, and Ernie Cooper that Kate was alive and safe in her bed. But Jim couldn't blame them for not believing him at first. It was a little hard to believe. Kate did pull off a really good act. And the main question everybody seemed to have was "How?" nobody could hazard a guess as to how Kate Kayser faked her death in front of two crews.

But that question was going to have wait for Kate to be ready to answer. Delbert and Amelia were the first ones to examine Kate and to attempt to heal her. After they finished all they had to do was wait for her to wake up. Everybody was huddled in the engine room discussing the last few events that had occurred.

"Are yeh sure tha' Katie didn't tell ya wat she was plannin'?" Silver asked Jim for the second time that hour.

Jim merely looked at him with pure exhaustion written across his features. He had gone over with Silver his last conversation with Kate before the battle started several times already.

"I'm beginning to think that Kate's plan was nothing more than just spontaneous," Doppler said aloud as he pondered the mystery.

Silver chuckled. "Tha' is more o' her style." He shook his head.

"I just would like to know how she did it though," Amelia said frustrated. "She had us all fooled."

Morph whirled around the room happily a couple of times before landing in front of Amelia grinning madly.

"Except for you, of course." Amelia told Morph who squealed in delight before joining Jim who was casually leaning against the wall.

"Well I guess we will just have to wait for her to wake up," Mr. Cooper said. "For now I suggest we keep this news a secret between us and have a good night's rest."

"Fine idea Mr. Cooper," Amelia told him. "If Katharine wakes up Mr. Hawkins will let us know, right Mr. Hawkins?"

Jim nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Very well." Amelia ended their conversation as everybody left to rest in their own quarters. Silver waited till' everybody cleared out to talk to Jim.

"So," Jim started. "What are you going to do about Zoë?"

"Ah I dunno," Silver mused, "I suppose tha' decision can wait till' we talk ta Kate. But tha's not wat I wanted ta talk ta yeh 'bout."

Jim raised a brow taking in Silver's demeanor. "Is it really serious? I thought we were out of the woods, so to speak."

Silver let out a loaded sigh. "I don't t'ink yer gonna like me new plan."

* * *

Jim spent about a couple hours waiting beside Kate's bed before she started to stir. He would have usually gone a bit crazy being locked up in the same room for hours with nothing to do but Silver's early talk with him gave him a lot to think about. It only felt like minutes to Jim before Kate started to wake up and even her little motions made him jump. He wasn't expecting her to wake so soon.

To say Jim didn't like Silver's new plan was an understatement; especially the part where he couldn't tell anybody about it. Not even Kate. He had to retrain himself from yelling his argument against it to Silver. But in the end Silver had won. And Jim had to admit to himself that it was a pretty good plan if it all went smoothly and Silver's talk with the Captain and Zoë go well…

"Jim?" Kate asked softly. She wasn't quite sure it was him because he kept pacing around her room in the dark. It was very odd.

He didn't hear her. Jim was too absorbed in his own thoughts to hear a whisper in a silent room. Kate soon realized this and rolled her eyes.

_Attentive bodyguard I have, _she thought.

Kate shifted around the bed a bit; wincing when the pain of her injuries washed over her and had no choice but to let out a painful moan. That got Jim's attention.

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Damn it," he cursed. "Why didn't you tell me you were awake?"

"Yes curse and blame the poor injured girl for the boy's jumpiness," she said sarcastically. "Why so jumpy Hawkins? And I tried to get your attention before but you were too busy acting odd."

Jim's features softened. "So you're obviously okay," he stated relieved.

Kate scoffed. "Of course I am. I told you I would be," Kate paused as she let out a small gasp. Jim mistaking this as a sign of pain rushed forward.

"What is it?"

Kate's lips had formed a small 'o' and her eyes were widened in shock. "Oh nothing, just that I am in different clothes than I originally was in before!" She glared accursedly at Jim who turned a bit pink in the face.

"I didn't do anything," he stated shocked at her unspoken accusation. "The Doc and Amelia probably changed you while they bandaged you up."

Kate let out a relieved sigh. "So what's the damage? How's Eddie? Zoë?"

Jim took a deep breath. "Eddie is fine but it's going to take a while for him to recover completely. Zoë did not get hurt but I did tell Silver about what we overheard right before everything got started."

Kate bit her lip. "What is Silver going to do about Zoë?"

"I don't know," Jim lied. He knew but couldn't tell her. Silver told him not too. "Maybe you should talk to Silver about her," he suggested and Kate merely nodded believing his lie.

_She will find out soon enough anyways, _Jim thought as he repeated Silver's words in his head.

"How long am I bed-ridden?" Kate asked interrupting Jim's thoughts.

"You have a sprained wrist, torn ligaments in your right leg and two broken ribs. What do you think?" Kate pouted. She hated staying in one place for too long.

_I just have to find a way to move around without causing too much pain. Then I won't go crazy, _she thought mischievously.

"And don't you think of trying to find a way out of it," he told her as if he had read her thoughts. "You will most likely cause more harm than good to yourself if you don't listen to Doc's orders."

"Jim is right Katharine you are to stay put," Amelia commanded from the doorway to Kate's bedroom. Jim gave her a smug look as Kate glared at him mentally shouting that he better find a way to get her out of the room or she was going to drive him crazy as well.

"Yeah Katie," Silver told her agreeing with Amelia as he came into her room. "We don't won't ta lose ya again." Kate sighed and smiled softly at her godfather immediately letting go any arguments against him. She already felt awful enough for what she had put him through.

"I am so sorry," she said softly looking from Silver to Jim and then to Amelia. "I just didn't know what else to do and-," Kate was cut off by Silver.

"We know Katie," he told her, "don't cha worry 'bout it. However we all are a bit curious as ta how ya did it." He raised a brow silently asking her to explain.

"Well is everybody in here that's wants to hear it?" She asked. "I would rather only explain it once."

They all nodded at her. "If anybody else would like to know I would tell them." Amelia told her.

"Okay," Kate agreed and took a deep breath before starting her story. "As soon as I got to the 'hidey-hole' I turned on all of the cameras to watch what was going on. Soon after that Morph joined me and I don't know what he saw but he was all jittery." She looked at Silver waiting for him to explain.

"Oh well like I told Jimbo," Kate could practically hear Jim's grimace and smiled, "Morph doesn't do well in battles. Too much goin' on all at once, so I told him ta keep ya company."

"Oh then that explain Morph," she murmured and then continued her story. "Everything seemed to being going okay for awhile but then I saw that _dwarf_," she growled out the word, "stab Edmund and I had to do something. So I grabbed Jim's solar surfer," at that she looked at Jim apologetically. "And headed out about the ship till I got to the edge that I was standing on."

"By the way Jim your solar surfer may need a few repairs," she told him and he waved her off.

"Don't worry about it; by the way it sounds the surfer probably saved your life." She nodded at this feeling grateful for his acceptance of her apology.

"I was just observing for a few seconds thinking that the solution may resolve itself. Then two things happened simultaneously and I just had to get involved." She looked at Jim. "I saw you start to run toward Zoë to stop _him _from hurting her or worse; but then the pirate Captain noticed your lack of concentration to your surroundings. He pointed a gun at your head and then I shouted to stop everything." Kate paused to take a deep breath.

"I believe you guys know what happened next."

"Yes," Amelia told her, "but I think we all want to know how you managed to fool of us into thinking you were dead."

"Oh yeah that probably needs explaining too," Kate said as the realization came to her.

Silver furrowed his eyebrows. "Are yeh sure ya don't need ta rest some more before?" Kate seemed really out of it to him. She needed to rest.

She shook her head fiercely. "Nah I'm fine, really." Kate assured him.

"You should all now that the pistol that I fired at myself was a blank," she explained. "So that's why I don't have a laser hole in my head." Everybody winced at her last statement.

"When I fell," Kate continued, "that was real. I didn't mean to back I actually really did slip off the ship." She let out a small laugh. "It was a small miracle that I landed full force on the surfer. That's where I got my sprained wrist and broken ribs. I was also lucky that I got out of there in time before anybody noticed."

"I can't believe ya got out 'o there tha' fast Katie," Silver commented, "wit deh broken ribs an' all."

"Yeah me too," she said giving him a small smile. "I failed at landing too due to the pain on my injuries." Kate stated a bit embarrassed by her admission. "That is how I banged up my leg."

Everybody was silent for a few moments before Amelia spoke:

"Then why did it take so long for you to send Morph to Jim?" She asked curious.

"Yeah an' why Jim an' not me?" Silver asked slightly hurt that Kate didn't send Morph to him.

"Actually," Kate brightened and tickled Morph who was hovering by Kate during her story telling, "I sort of passed out after my little _performance_ so Morph went to Jim on his own accord." She caressed the blob whispering thanks to him over and over again; and promising future treats.

Captain Amelia clapped her hands together. "Well that certainly explains what happened. Your little act has given us opportunities that can help us weed out the possible mutineers."

Kate was the only one who looked confused at this statement. "How?"

"Silver informed me of what happened to Zoë and we are planning on keep the act going that you are still dead-," Amelia was interrupted by Kate.

"Wait a second. So Zoë still think I am dead?" Kate asked her incredulously.

"Well for now Katharine, we need to keep this to chest so we can get rid of any threat on board. We are going to stop at the next upcoming planet and make an announcement that any crew member may leave since you are dead and therefore they are not required to stick around."

Amelia stopped explaining when Kate started to look like she understood her plan. "That's clever," she said aloud even though she could find a few flaws in it. Amelia and Kate were too involved in their conversation that they had failed to notice Silver and Jim giving each other significant looks.

"Do yeh really t'ink tha' deh mutineers will all leave?" Silver asked. "They could believe tha' one o'us knows about deh treasure."

"Maybe they could believe that," Amelia agreed. "But the pirate Captain even left when he thought that Katharine was dead so I am willing to believe that the traitors on board _Serenity_ will too."

"I don't know Captain," Kate sounded skeptical. "I mean it's a good plan but its not full proof enough. What if they doubt that I am dead?"

"It may not be as full proof as I would like, but it's what we have." She said bluntly. "We will make the announcement tonight." Then Captain Amelia turned and left but before she made it out the door she paused. "I'm glad you are okay Kate."

Kate smiled at Amelia's retreating back and then turned to face Silver and Jim glaring. "Now would you two mind telling me what you're hiding from myself and the Captain?" She asked sweetly.

They both looked shocked and surprised at her sudden question. "Why? I don't wha' yeh are talkin' bout Katie. We aren't hidin' anyt'ing!" Silver explained.

Kate raised a brow. "I may be injured but I am not clueless. I know something is going on that you aren't telling me." She told them crossing her arms waiting for a response.

Jim turned to Silver and whispered something to him that Kate couldn't catch. Silver looked appalled at whatever Jim had told him and whispered something back.

Kate got fed up with the secrecy and threw one of her pillows at them. "Cut it out!" She demanded at the shocked pair. "If you guys are going to keep secrets please do it right. For the stars above Zoë can keep a better secret then you two!" Kate calmed herself done before asking. "Now what does this secret have to do with me?"

They looked at each other and Silver decided to answer. "We can't tell ya Katie, but don't worry it's a good plan."

Kate glared at them both before sighing. "Fine."

Silver chuckled at her expression. "It's great to have ya back Katie." He kissed her on the top of her head before walking out of the room.

Kate looked Jim questioningly; he was massaging his temples with his hands. Now she understood why he was acting so weird before; he obliviously was not as enthused about the plan as Silver was. Whatever the plan was, that is. "You don't like the plan much." She stated and he finally looked at her.

"You won't either if you were me." He stated forcefully.

"Whoa," she said surprised. "You really don't like this do you?"

Jim scooted a chair close to Kate's bedside. "You aren't going to like it." He told her seriously.

"Jim," she said softly, "I'll be fine. Whatever it is that Silver planned; I can take it."

"Even with you hurt like you are?" He asked skeptic and then he shook his. "I doubt it."

Concern flashed through Jim's features and Kate realized that Silver's plan may be more than what Jim bargained for; therefore he was worried that Kate would not be able to handle it. "I trust Silver," she stated firmly, "with my life."

"Do you trust me with your life?" He asked locking his blue eyes with her dark ones.

"Yes," she answered immediately. Kate saw relief flit across his face and then he suddenly stood up.

"Good," he replied. "And, in advance," Kate raised a brow at this but then completely went still in shock when Jim leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I'm sorry." And just to make her heart stop; Jim quickly gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead and left.

**A/N: Okay I have finals coming up so this may be my last update for a while. No throwing things please. I promise this story will continue and there will be a conclusion. Plus after finals I will have a lot more free time!!! Yay for summer!**

**Thanks to the Reviewers:**

**OMGitsEMILY****: Told you I was working on it lol. Yeah you're right you have been making us wait for Jim to propose, especially with the last chapter you put up! Thank you again for your review and thanks for advertising my story in yours…again. That was so flattering!**

**MistressTaco****: Yeah the end isn't going to come for awhile now ;) Now I get cookies?!**

**Lenixxx****: Yay! A new reviewer!! By the way you can capitalize compliments anytime in your review lol. Thanks!!**

**Next chapter will be about "the plan" that Jim and Silver were debating about. And will the crew on the ship leave or stay? What's going on with Zoë and Edmund? Well you are going to have to wait.**

**Please please please please please please R-E-V-I-E-W!! What does that spell? That's right review!!**

**Whoa that was cheesy but anyways…review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Sixteen:**

Zoë had a headache.

The whirlwind of events have taken affect on the young teenage girl and she was desperately wishing that she never would have gotten involved in this mess. She was sitting on a big barrel in the most secluded corner of the ship. It was very dusty and Zoë had started to sniffle waiting for the inevitable meeting with Malcolm. Zoë had brought her knees up to her chest; resting her head on top of them thinking how much could change in mere hours. A lot could change, she had realized.

The quick changing of events had given her a headache and adding the dusty corner of the ship was just making it worse. Plus the incoming discussion with Malcolm was making her nervous and paranoid that he may hurt her again. But she doubted it. Zoë was bringing good news so she should be in the clear. Malcolm was the main reason she wished that she had never gotten involved. But if she never would have gotten involved she never would have met Kate, who was like the big sister she never had or Eddie who she was growing quite fond of.

However, Malcolm had turned out to be her worst nightmare.

He had found her when she was weak and desperate. And now she was forced to become an actress and fool everybody that she had come to form a bond with. Zoë had to admit herself though; she was a pretty good actress. All the training that had come with bearing with Malcolm was about to become useful, in a good way. Thinking about this change brought a huge grin to the pink-haired girl's features which she then had to struggle to hide it again and make her features neutral.

She jumped a little when she heard Malcolm, she assumed, make his way toward her. He was a bulky guy and pretty tall; in definition terms he was just huge. Sometimes his head would make contact with low ceilings or in small doorframes he would have to enter sideways. Zoë at first had found this hilarious, now, however, she just found it scary intimidating. His presence was also unmistakable to her. He made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Ferris," he growled at her. Zoë's eyes widen slightly. The giant was pissed.

His dark brown hair that came down to a point at his chin was ruffled. And his equally dark eyes were narrowed as he glared holes through her head. Plus he was clenching his jaw and he had refused to sit down so now he was stiffly standing in front of her.

"Why?" He questioned her and then paused for a second as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did you summon me here? You have already cost us valuable information in stalling."

Zoë, in turn, returned his glare with one of her own. _How dare he,_ she thought.

"Fine," she retorted. "I won't tell ya _valuable information _that I have just obtained."

Malcolm grew suspicious of her words. "Spit it out, Ferris." He commanded, curious of what she was talking about.

"We are going to be stopping at the next planet soon," she started.

"I know that," he said monotone.

"Yeah I know," she said frustrated, "you didn't let me finish. Anyways the Cap'n is going to make a speech and give the crew an option of staying or leaving."

"That would make sense considering the Kayser girl is dead and they have suspected the crew of mutiny so I can get off this heap of crap and find a better job that doesn't involve _you_." He snarled at her and Zoë couldn't help but jump back a bit.

Once she got her wits together she said, "First off Kate isn't dead. She faked that incident earlier. Now the Cap'n and others are lying about it just to get the mutineers off the ship," she explained with a scowl.

It took a few moments of that information to sink firmly into Malcolm's brain. He was shocked that Kayser wasn't dead and that Zoë was able to get a hold of this information.

"Anything else?" He asked and Zoë thought that he had actually sounded hopeful.

"Yeah," she replied. "She won't have a bodyguard either. Don't ask me why."

Malcolm rubbed his chin thoughtfully thinking up a way to get to the girl and back to the boss without being seen. He was going to take all the credit for this. Screw the others.

"Good work, Ferris." He told her with an evil grin as he turned to walk away.

"Wait." She called out to him and he turned to look at her with an expression of superiority and dominance. "What are you going to do?" She asked shyly.

He smirked at her. "I'm going to do this on my own." And he walked away grinning broadly.

Malcolm was too self-centered to have noticed Zoë's expression. She was smirking too.

Jim grunted as he went through the labor of repairing his solar surfer. It was an exhausting process especially since the damage that Kate had done to it was expansion and critical. He didn't blame her of course.

He was grateful.

His solar surfer saved her life and because of that he didn't mind repairing it. Jim loved mechanics anyways so it was no big deal but it was still very tiring. Usually he would expand repairs this critical in days spent on it. However he only had a few hours to get it down. After all he was going to have to take it with him in order for Silver's plan to work. He just prayed to the stars that everything was going to resolve itself and everybody will turn out to be okay.

"Jim?" A quiet voice approached him and he turned around to find the ship's cabin girl nervously standing in the doorframe.

He nodded at her to acknowledge her and then went back to work. He was almost done and he wasn't going to stop now. Zoë came into the small room and stood in front of Jim and watched him work as she thought quietly. She stood there for a few minutes before Jim let out a heavy sigh indicating that his work was finished.

"Eddie ain't up yet," she whispered.

Jim frowned. "Well he did get stabbed straight through the shoulder, Zoë. It's going to take some time." He consoled her.

"It-it's just," she struggled to find the words, "he-he's going to wa-wake up and believe that it…it was all my fault." Jim quickly stood up and walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"He likes you," he told her, "he likes you a lot. So he is not going to believe anything till he talks to you. And all you have to do is tell him the truth."

Zoë let out a small laugh. "The truth?! Jim that is gonna drive him away," she said sadly.

"No it won't," he told her confidently, "Eddie's a good guy. He'll hear you out and understand."

Zoë nodded and then cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're a good guy too, Jim. Kate's lucky to have ya."

At Jim's shocked and confused look Zoë explained, "I meant as a bodyguard. Geesh Hawkins jump to conclusions much?"

He smiled at the fact that he made Zoë feel better but then his smile fell. "I won't be a very good one soon though."

"Shut it Hawkins. You're being too hard on yourself. It will make her safer." She smiled at him. "You should be proud. I am."

Jim shook his head. "What if something goes wrong?"

"It won't," Silver's voice echoed from the door. He came in to the room and shut the door behind him. "So Zoë did yer talk go as planned?"

She nodded fiercely. "Yeah he's pretty predictable. The only variable is what he's gonna do to get Kate." She shivered. "I don't like this either."

"Katie will be fine. She always is," Silver told them.

"But what if this time is different?" Jim questioned and Zoë nodded at his question looking to Silver for the answer.

"Kate's a strong lass, she can take care o'erself!" Silver bellowed and then lowered his voice. "If she was here she would tell ya herself."

Zoë turned toward Jim. "He's got a point there."

"She's hurt though," Jim said and then to reiterate, "badly."

"He won't hurt her," Zoë added, "they need her unharmed."

Jim and Silver both looked at each other thinking the same thing. Jim was the first to say it, "Kate won't go without a fight."

Zoë snorted. "Well that's obvious to pretty much everyone and Malcolm knows it. He will probably find a way to make sure she won't be able to fight back," she told them and at their winces she added, "something that won't kill her."

Silver sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm gettin' too ol' fer this," he muttered. "It's all planned out so tha' Jim will be there fer her."

"If all goes according to plan, you mean?" Jim asked.

Silver nodded and then Zoë mumbled, "I've never been a big fan of the word _if_."

As_ Serenity_ entered Inari's atmosphere, Captain Amelia gathered her entire crew with the exceptions of Edmund and of course Katharine on deck. Inari was a peaceful planet filled with cities and vast oceans. It was the only other planet in the universe besides Earth to be called "The Blue Planet". It was a planet filled with merchants and vessels unloading and loading goods day in and day out. So it was a good planet to be looking for a job that took place on a vessel.

Captain Amelia thought this was appropriate considering her thought was that most, if not all, of the crew will be leaving the ship. And she will be in need of hiring some new crew members herself. As she looked around at the crew of _Serenity_ for the past couple of weeks she felt sadden by the fact that many were in fact mutineers planning on taking over the vessel.

They were such a hard working and talented crew that it was a shame. And Amelia couldn't help but wonder if it was all a farce or if her crew was being threatened to do so. She would call herself naïve if she fully believed that the former was true.

_Edmund was right from the beginning, _she thought, _the crew did show to have some suspicious behavior. _

Her latter thought Amelia believed was a definite possibility. Since Zoë Ferris was indeed being threatened herself; would the rest of the crew's situation be any different? Captain Amelia narrowed her eyes as she inspected the crew once again.

_If that was true, _she figured, _there would have to be a bully or someone persuading the rest of them to go along._

Amelia just hoped that her solution to this problem will fix everything. That whoever this "bully" was will leave the ship and never return. And that the crew members who stay behind were the innocent ones in the matter. Again, Amelia believed that was a naïve thought.

She gave a polite cough to the crowd to show she was ready to talk. Then everything went silent.

"Well then," she said, "because of unfortunate circumstances that have occurred in the past couple of days we will no longer be heading to our original destination."

She paused as murmurs took up the silence when the crew took in the new information.

"I'm sure you all know what that means," she told them, "so any crew member who wishes to take their leave here at Inari may do so. Any crew member who wishes to stay aboard and help us travel safely home may also do so."

And with that Captain Amelia turned her back on the crew as they made their decision. They had a few minutes before they reached Inari and the crew could leave if they wished to but until then she was going to have to wait to see who was going to be the first to leave.

Edmund was awake when he heard the ship's gears decrease as they entered a planet's atmosphere. From the conversations he had heard when he was semi-conscious he knew that Kate was indeed alive and that stopping at this planet was just a ploy to get mutineers off of _Serenity_. He wanted to see them leave. To know who exactly was to blame for his shoulder injury. His arm was in a sling and Eddie groaned as the first wave of pain hit him when he tried sitting up.

_Hopefully nobody comes to check on me or I will be in so much trouble_, he thought as he attempted to stand up.

He quickly sat back down when a wave a nauseous and dizziness swept through him. Grateful to whomever gave him a glass of water he gulped down the liquid which seemed to temporary relieve the strong sense of nauseous and dizziness. Eddie stood up and slowly walked out of his room and into the doorway where he could safely watch the crew members departing.

The entire crew was on deck including Silver and Jim who were standing towards the edge the ship talking. Jim was holding onto his solar surfer and Silver's cyborg eye was roaming the crowd of soon departing crew members. Zoë was a part of that crowd; uncomfortably standing near the edge with a tall, bulky sized man.

_Serenity_ landed quite easily onto the planet and everybody on board could see the busy, packed streets filled with sailors, merchants, and groups of families. Eddie quietly wished that he wasn't injured so he could explore the planet. Captain Amelia had chosen a good planet to stop at. There were rarely any major crimes due to people coming and going at Inari; and it was a nice planet to take a short vacation at during long voyages. And this voyage felt extremely long to Eddie especially because of his injury.

It was finally time for any of the crew to leave if they wished too. Amelia, Doctor Doppler, Ernie Cooper, Silver, Edmund, and even Zoë looked around anxiously for any member of the crew to take their leave. What shocked most of them was first person on board to walk toward the exit and depart the ship.

Jim.

Captain Amelia was speechless for a few moments and Edmund's jaw dropped. Doppler was in the process of drinking something and out of surprise had spit it out. Zoë and Silver; however, faked their shock.

"Mr. Hawkins," Amelia called out and Jim casually glanced back over his shoulder to hear her out. "Where…where exactly do you think you're going?"

Jim faked confusion. "Captain, unless I'm mistaken you said that any _crew member _may leave the ship if one wishes to do so," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Well yes but-," Amelia started bewildered at the situation.

"So I am a crew member wishing to leave the ship and am in fact doing so. I don't see a problem, do you?" Jim questioned.

"No but-," Amelia blurted still in shock.

"Okay then," Jim said, "goodbye and good luck." And with those final words Jim was no longer in sight as he mingled in with the crowd.

Another moment of silence passed before the rest of the crew departed off the ship leaving only Captain Amelia, Doppler, Ernie Cooper, Silver, Edmund, Zoë, and a smirking Malcolm on the deck of _Serenity_.

Instead of standing in stunned silence like the rest; Eddie turned around and headed straight for Kate as fast as he could without straining himself. Thoughts racing back and forth in his head as he tried to get a grip on the present situation at hand.

Kate was injured badly.

With no bodyguard to protect her or even a back up one considering he was worse off than she was.

But everybody believes that she is dead.

When that thought accorded to him; Eddie slowed down his pace. This danger that he had thought originally was bad was not so anymore. As long as Kate did as she was told which was unlikely but possible she could remain safe. But she still needed to know what had happened.

Edmund cringed as he opened the engine door not just because of the pain he experienced by opening the heavy door but because he was trying to picture Kate's face when he told her that Hawkins was gone. Eddie was not an idiot. He knew that they were close; very close even if the pair was not aware of their growing relationship, but he and Zoë were very aware.

He took a deep breath and readied himself for Kate's reaction.

Hopefully he would come out of her room unharmed.

_Unlikely_, he thought as he knocked on her bedroom door.

**A/N: If you are confused please let me know and I will get back to you. I really hope y'all understood what happened and are not too entirely mad at me. I still have finals coming up so it may be awhile, but who really knows?**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS!! I had more reviews than ever before!! Please don't stop now!!!**

**Thanks and some cookies to:**

**OMGitsEMILY****: I really hope you understood the plan…if not let me know. ;) Yay!! I'm glad the last was cute to you. I thought it was too!!**

**MistressTaco****: Sexy chapter…? Haha just kidding. Do I get something special??**

**Penspot****: Hey!! You're back!! I thought you died!!! Thanks for reviewing again. Is this where you thought it would go?**

**Lenixxx****: Thank you!! I hope it wasn't long of a wait for you.**

**Dressage17****: YAY!!! A new one!! Sorry I get excited about new reviewers lol. I'm glad you love my story and I hope you continue to do so. Thank you.**

**Yeah, y'all know the drill.**

**Press. That. Button. :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Seventeen:**

Edmund knocked on Kate's door and was welcomed with no response. He knocked again with more force and still he got silence. Worry for her safety started to build in his gut. On impulse and instinct Edmund let himself in quickly to find Kate sound asleep.

"Kate wake up," Edmund demanded as he shut her door.

She made no sound or movement to acknowledge that Eddie had spoken to her. He loudly sighed irritated. Not wanting to get near her to try to wake her up because Kate would most likely hit him like when she punched Jim. He decided to just yell:

"Kate!"

He could hear her yawn. "Five more minutes," she slurred as she rolled over with a groan of pain due to her injuries.

Edmund rolled his eyes. Apparently Zoë wasn't the only one that could sleep through anything. The ship could be falling around Kate and all she would do; would be to try to turn off her alarm clock. He laughed to himself as he picked up a pillow at the edge of Kate's bed.

"Get up," he yelled again as he threw the pillow as hard as he could at her sleeping form.

Kate woke up with a start. She sat up fully on her bed rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What the hell was that for?" She asked furious.

"Well," Eddie thought for a moment, "I don't know how Jim normally wakes you up but that was the best solution I could think up that didn't involve me getting hurt."

Kate blinked. "Eddie?" She questioned the form standing at the foot of the bed. "You should be resting, moron."

"You're absolutely right," he agreed with her right before he gently laid himself down on her bed next to her.

Kate flicked his head. "Not here, Ed."

"Ouch," he complained rubbing his head. "Aren't you happy to see me alive Ms. Kayser?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I would be happier to see you alive in _your_ bed resting," she retorted as she let out a yawn. "What are you doing here?"

Edmund sighed. "I have some bad news."

"Zoë? What happened?" Kate asked him already assuming that his bad news was referring to Zoë. Kate sat up straight in her bed wincing a bit at the sudden movement. Concern was filling her features as she waited patiently for Edmund's answer which was only the shake of his head.

"No," he replied, "as far as know she's fine." Kate narrowed her eyes at this. His answer to her question sounded off as he referred to Zoë. His voice seemed on edge at the mention of Zoë.

_He sounds angry, _she thought.

It took a minute for Kate to put two and two together. Her eyes widened and spoke before Edmund could tell her his bad news,

"Who told you?" She asked fiercely.

"I wasn't completely unconscious when the Captain and Doc were discussing previous events," Eddie explained, "I know her part in all of this." He also straightened up and stared off into the distance and his eyes darkened.

"Oh Ed," Kate sighed deeply. "Then you have to know that she had no choice."

"There is always a choice, Kate. She just chose the easier choice to take," he replied now shaking with anger.

"But it's never that black and white, Edmund. It gets complicated," Kate tried to explain softly to calm him down.

It didn't work.

Edmund suddenly stood up and threw Kate's bedside lamp against the wall. Kate jumped a bit surprised at the sudden crash and looked up at Edmund open mouthed.

"She should have come to me. I could have protected her, I could ha-have st-stopped this with her hel-help," Edmund stopped talking to take a shuddering breath leaning his head against the wall.

Kate had gotten out of bed to stand behind Eddie. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Some things are just out of our control, Edmund."

Eddie ran his hands through his hair as he calmed down. "It doesn't matter. I thought she trusted me," he stopped to take a deep breath, "I guess I was wrong."

"Ed," Kate sighed shaking her head. "You should take to Zoë about this. Promise me that you will."

He slowly turned around to face her and held onto her hand in need of comfort. "I really don't think I can promise you anything right now. You ready for the bad news?"

She smiled slightly knowing that there was never more she could do to help Eddie and Zoë but just to wait and see. "Is there any good news to go along with the bad?"

Edmund thought for a moment and then smiled sadly back at her. "Yeah actually there is. Which would you like first?"

"Give me the bad," she told him as she readied herself for what was coming.

"Jim's gone," he told her plainly.

Kate blinked in surprise and shook her head looking at him warily. "What do you mean?" She asked as her breathing became shallower.

"He's gone. He left _Serenity_. Jim was the first one to leave when the Captain gave her speech to the crew," he explained sadly.

She let out a shaky laugh as she sat back down on her bed. "Did you really need to phrase it that way?"

"Sorry," he apologized.

"When's he coming back?" She asked hopeful and at Edmund's expression explained, "Well it's not like a need bodyguard anymore but he promised-,"

"Kate, wait please stop," Eddie stopped her. "I don't think Jim is coming back."

She shook her head at him. "Of course he is Edmund," she told him was severity.

"He had his pack and his solar surfer. Look in his room, Kate, he left nothing. Believe me I checked," he paused and then said, "I really don't think he's coming back."

Kate stared at the wall for several minutes before speaking. She had serious doubts that Jim would just leave after everything that had happened. Especially after the apology and kiss he left with her the last time she saw him. No, Jim leaving did not make any sense to Kate. And to leave without Silver or anybody else that he considered family? Ridiculous.

Then it all clicked. Kate remembered Silver and Jim scheming behind her back. Asking her if she trusted them with her life. Jim's apology and his departure. It was all part of whatever they were planning, but Kate couldn't figure out what their angle was.

Kate then turned to look at Edmund and nodded, "He's going to come back." She smiled.

Eddie blinked. "Did you not hear what I just told you?" He asked her in disbelief at her statement.

"Yeah, but-,"

Edmund cut her off. "Kate if you think this part of some plan that they thought up; I think you're wrong." Kate frowned at this but Edmund continued, "I saw their faces when he left. The Captain was completely baffled, Doc couldn't get out a word he was so shocked, and Silver just stood there open mouthed."

She narrowed her eyes when Eddie got to Silver's reaction.

_That's not like him at all. If Jim really left without telling him, Silver would have done more to stop him, _she thought to herself.

"Alright," she said to Edmund to end their debate about Jim's departure. "What's the good news?"

"Immediately after Hawkins left most of the crew followed him," he told her, "so you are now safe, hopefully."

"Which members of the crew stayed behind?" She asked curious.

"Just Zoë and this giant of a man," he stated.

Kate only nodded at this. "When you do talk to Zoë-,"

Ed cut her off again. "Listen Kate I don't think me yelling at her isn't going to solve anything but…," Ed stopped talking when he caught sight of Kate's glare. "I just mean I don't think there should be any talking…, but, uh since you're so damn adamant about it..," Edmund trailed off.

"Just don't be an idiot."

Approximately ten hours after Jim Hawkins and most of the crew left; _Serenity_ was on her way back into the darkness of space. Amelia, Silver, and Mr. Copper were able to locate and hire a dependable, trustworthy crew of just three new members. Yes, a lot of work was going to be assigned to the crew now than before but it lowered the risk of mutiny.

Captain Amelia was particularly set of making sure that the mutiny experience she had on the Legacy was not going to repeat again. She had references pulled on all three newcomers and did an in-depth investigation to ensure a trustworthy, non-threatening crew.

The first creature that spotted her eye was a kind of insect species that were built for speed and flexibility. His name was Sebes and had huge light blue beady eyes paired with a nice length of blond hair that he usually had pulled back with a black bandana. Sebes had long red, muscular limbs that were perfect for climbing around the ship in fantastic speeds. Despite his intense ability to intimidate he was a gentle creature with a good heart.

Sebes' friend was Amelia's second choice. They had been good friends for a while and had worked together on ships for years so their references had come hand in hand. Andreas was a dark haired dwarf that had a long scar slashed across the side of his face. He spoke in a gruff voice that rarely showed any emotion besides fierce anger or determination.

If Kate knew anything from meeting the dwarf was that she should never underestimate for his size. Seeing the two friends together reminded her of her experience fighting Heath and the red-haired dwarf. Especially the vertical comparisons between the two pairs; it was almost comical to her. But then she remembered killing Heath and Kate had to look away from the pair of newcomers.

The third stranger that Captain Amelia invited on board had everyone talking. Alike to the pirate Captain; a rarity in his species, this alien shared the same similarity. She had the same shape and physical characteristics of a human but instead she was a sky blue color instead of the usual tan or pale. The alien walked around the ship with a grace and dignity that only her species could accomplish. And she had the complete opposite of the dwarf's personality. She was genuinely sweet and caring to everyone on board; letting anybody who had the interest ask her questions.

Alayne was a breath of fresh air on board the vessel that everybody instantly took to liking her for it. She was a Fabunnian and healing came naturally to her as well did other talents that she dared not mention even during interviews the other crew members would often pry on her. Alayne heard about the recent events through the Captain and Silver about what had happened to Kate and immediately went to Kate's aid.

Thanks to Alayne's amazing healing abilities Kate was finally able to walk on both legs without wincing every time. Alayne wanted to continue onto Kate's broken ribs but Kate had refused. Fabunnians' healing talents were powerful but they took a lot of energy from the healer herself. Kate wanted to make sure Edmund would get some help too without completely draining Alayne.

"You are a stubborn girl, Ms. Kayser," Alayne had told Kate after she had given her excuses to defer anymore treatment from Alayne until she was fully rested and Edmund would be taken care of.

Kate smiled. "I know."

"Well I would hope so," Alayne retorted and Kate chuckled.

"Since you are so stubborn," Alayne continued, "if I see any signs of pain from you; you will have no choice but to be healed completely." She took Kate's hand in reassurance of her threat and then went still and quiet.

She stood as still as a statue for a few moments before Kate started to get worried.

"Alayne?" She questioned the blue alien and then proceeded to gently shake her shoulder. A second after Kate's hand made contact with Alayne's shoulder her bright eyes came back to life and she smiled sadly at Kate.

"No worries, child," she reassured Kate, patting her hand. "I better go see to young Mister Downey."

Kate narrowed her eyes at Alayne's retreating back trying to understand what had just happened but could make no sense of it and eventually shrugged it off as nothing. Kate practiced moving around with her now healed leg finding no difficulty in the matter and was smiling happily to herself when she heard a knock and turned around to see Silver.

"Yer back on two legs now eh, Kate," Silver smirked, "don't start cauin' any more trouble now tha' ya can move around better."

"Funny," she told him as she shifted her weight from one leg to another marveling at the thrill of no pain.

"I assume," Silver became hesitant, "tha', uh, nobody has told ya wha' happened ta Jim."

Kate looked up at him. "Actually Eddie did that for ya."

"Really now?" Silver asked shocked. "An' ya haven't come ta me wit yer questions?"

"You have your plans. You're obviously not thinking about telling me anything, so I'm not going to waste my time asking questions," Kate retorted and then came up close toward Silver.

"So if I'm not suppose know anything," she whispered, "you should leave so that way I can stay oblivious to whatever it is that is supposed to happen."

"Ya know?" He whispered back shocked.

"Well it's not exactly an original plan," she told him in a whisper.

Silver started to look around the room. "Did Jimbo tell ye?"

Kate furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What are you talking about? Jim's off the ship now and you ain't going to change that!" Her voice had risen back up to way above a whisper.

Silver blinked in understanding and promptly left leaving Kate alone to check out _Serenity_'s engine. A few minutes went by with Kate undisturbed until she heard another knock at the door.

"Come back for another rematch," she said with a laugh still focusing on fixing up the engine.

"I suppose you could say that," a fierce voice told her which was definitely not Silver's voice.

Kate quickly stood up to face the giant of a man only to be rewarded with a kick to the throat. She coughed and tired to speak but could not get out a single word. He quickly shut the engine door before facing her again.

Malcolm noticed her silence and chuckled. "I like this trick. A friend of mine told me about it," he told her as he dodged her incoming fist. "You see," he grunted as he slammed his knee into her ribcage causing Kate to fall on her back clutching her sore abdomen gasping in pain.

"He learned this trick because it was used on him; by a girl he was trying to capture and then she proceeded to disarm him and then knock him unconscious." He leaned down so that he was on top of her. "Then, this girl killed my friend's buddy and she slipped away. Again."

Malcolm looked into her eyes while keeping her hands captured in his. "But this time the girl is going to be a good little captive and finally stop causing my boss, friends and myself a load of trouble to get ya."

He finished his speech to be rewarded by Kate spitting in his face and smirking.

Malcolm glared at her. "You bitch," he snarled bringing up his knife from his belt and slicing her leg with it. Kate jerked from the pain. "Behave," he commanded. "My boss wants ya alive; he didn't say anything about me having some fun."

He pulled her up by her hands with no help what so ever from Kate. There was no way she was going to go willingly. She would rather die or give Malcolm a hard time getting her there. He seemed to realize that she was going to put up a fight so instead of trying to get her to move he slammed her against the wall.

"Ya know I could get ya there easier by just knocking ya out," he threatened darkly.

The only response he got was Kate glaring at him as she slid down the wall. That's when Malcolm lost it. He started to come toward her; his fist high in the air getting ready to make his strike across her face. Kate closed her eyes getting ready for the impact.

It never came.

**A/N: Muhaha. Yes, another cliffhanger but you can probably guess what's coming or at least I hope. I also hope that wasn't too intense for some readers but it is rated T. **

**A BIG apology to everybody. I know this took a long time to get updated but apparently being out of college for the summer doesn't mean the work stops. Ugh. Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take as long to get updated; I have already started on it so we shall see.**

**Oh! Yeah so the new OCs! Like? Dislike? Don't care? What's a Fabunnian? I don't know; I made them up :P Alayne is sort of based off another character in a Sci-fi show that used to be really popular. But don't worry she's mine. She'll have characteristics completely different from that character. If anybody knows what I'm talking about then YAY! Let me know. :D**

**Thanks to the Reviewers****:**

**OMGitsEMLIY****: Yeah not really the quick update. Sorry :/ I really have feeling that you'll be done with your inbetween-quel before I am even close to finishing my story lol.**

**chasingtheday****: I'm glad you like it so much! Thanks! Well it won't get finished any time soon but I will try and update it as much as I am able too. But there will be a finish, I promise. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Eighteen:**

_Previously:_

_The only response he got was Kate glaring at him as she slid down the wall. That's when Malcolm lost it. He started to come toward her; his fist high in the air getting ready to make his strike across her face. Kate closed her eyes getting ready for the impact._

_It never came._

Kate slowly opened her eyes which were unfocused due to pain. Her recently healed leg had been sliced open, _again_. She groaned as she slightly focused on her bleeding leg becoming more and more irritated by the fact that she could not stay away from receiving injuries.

After putting some energy into trying to stay awake and alert she was finally able to make out a figure looming over a seemingly unconscious Malcolm.

"It's a-bout damn ti-time," she was able to whisper shakily, resting against the wall. Kate thanked the stars above that her voice was able to come back as soon as it did even though it was weak. It did not matter, however, how weak her voice sounded because the figure standing over Malcolm looked over at her. He was about to say something to Kate but just then Malcolm rammed his legs into his and he went quickly down onto the floor.

Kate watched helplessly as she watched the two struggle on the ground for control and power. It looked like an even fight and she desperately wished that she could do anything to help. But her voice was still weak therefore she could not yell for help; neither could she actually get involved in the fight. So Kate felt pretty useless against the wall.

She kept feeling the constant sensation of her eyelids closing shut and Kate had no energy to try and keep them open. Just as she was about to completely become unconscious Kate felt a comforting presence at her right side. Summoning her energy to the surface Kate turned her head and opened her eyes to see Alayne grimly looking down at Kate's wound on her leg.

"Stubborn girl...always getting hurt…will not listen," Alayne was mumbling to herself as she attempted to heal Kate's leg again. Kate smiled listening to her rant; and then remembering the fight going on in front of her, she looked forward in time to see Edmund rush in to hit Malcolm in the face. With a loud bang Malcolm fell to the floor defeated.

"I do not think it was very wise of you to do that, Edmund especially with your shoulder injury," Alayne commented lightly while Edmund was busy cuffing Malcolm.

"What else was I suppose do?" He questioned sarcastically. "I couldn't leave Captain Tight Pants here to take all of the beating." Eddie said as he helped his friend to stand up straight. "You okay, mate?"

Jim nodded slightly as he attempted to stay standing.

"Captain Tight Pants?" Jim questioned his friend with an eyebrow raised. "I think I prefer Jimbo."

"Okay. You're welcome Jimbo," he told him with a laugh. "Nice to have ya back."

"Thanks, man," Jim told him and then he turned his attention to the dark eyed girl on the floor. "How are you doing Kate?"

"Oh, I've been worse off," she said softly. "Told you he was coming back, Ed."

"Yeah ya did, Kate," he told her smiling but then his gaze turned suspicious as he turned to look at Alayne. "How did you know?"

"Not now, Edmund," she told him politely but in a tone that was unlike her usual tone. It was fierce and commanding.

"How did she know what exactly?" Jim questioned, interested. He sat himself down next to Kate and took her hand squeezing it giving her comfort. She took it grateful but then noticed something.

"Hey guys..," she started.

"Blue girl knew this was going to go down before it even happened," Eddie accused Alayne glaring at her.

"Belay tha'," Silver bellowed as he entered the room. "Katie figured this was gonna go down an' let it happen anyways. Alayne merely did deh same damn t'ing. Don't go accusin' like tha' lad. It may getcha killed one day."

"But that is different," Eddie argued, "Kate knew you two were planning something and she trusts you and knows you both. Alayne is new on board. There is no way she could have deduced this. Hell, even I couldn't deduce this was going to happen."

Alayne looked as though she was paying no attention to this argument as she seemed immersed in healing Kate fully.

Jim narrowed his eyes. "Wait Eddie. Why do you believe Alayne knew about this?"

"Because instead of trying to heal my shoulder she was conserving her energy. As if she knew she was going to need it later," he told them getting worked up.

"Calm down, Edmund. There is no need to get all worked up," Alayne told him sweetly.

"Says the lying blue piece of -," Ed started to say before he got interrupted.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Zoë as she walked into the room. "The plan actually worked," she added in wonder.

"Alayne was probably conservin' her energy for yerself, lad." Silver sighed. "Can we drop this now?"

"Drop what?" Zoë asked confused at the ongoing conversation she walked in on.

"Nothing," Eddie grunted at her. Zoë took a step back with a wounded expression on her face.

"Guys..," Kate tried again.

"And what is your problem?" Zoë questioned Eddie.

"Just that as far as I am concerned Alayne and yourself have the same amount of trust from me. Which is none," Eddie spat at her before walking out of the room leaving Zoë dumbfounded and on the verge of tears.

"I'm gettin' too old fer t'is," Silver said sadly as he patted Zoë comfortingly on the shoulder.

"Alright that should do it," Alayne told Kate as she finished up her healing session. "Remember child to come to me if any pain shall arise."

"Will do," Kate promised. "But can somebody please do something with the giant over there. Oh, I don't know like put him in the brig?"

Everybody turned to look at Malcolm who was wide awake and trying to get out of the cuffs, unsuccessfully. Zoë smirked at this despite her recent interaction with Eddie.

"Sucks to be contained, doesn't it?" She asked her former master smiling.

"For now," he responded in a gruff voice. "I should have known you were a rat, Ferris. I shall take my revenge on you when I get out of this mess."

"Informing the enemy of future plans..," Alayne thought out loud, "not very smart."

"He really isn't," Zoë agreed, speaking from experience.

"I shall take this creature to the brig, if you don't mind," Alayne voiced her wants.

"I don't see a problem in it," Silver shrugged.

Everybody did a double take at this proposition. Imagining Alayne in any sort of violence seemed surreal to Kate. She had always pictured Alayne as a peaceful saint, committed to non-violence.

"But you are so…so soft," Malcolm spat out as an insult.

Instantly Alayne was over toward the giant pulling him up by his shirt collar. "I may be soft," she told Malcolm, "but I am not weak." And with that final sentiment in mind Alayne lead Malcolm out of the room and toward the brig.

"What are we going to do with him now?" Zoë asked curious.

"Find out who hired him ta get Kate," Silver answered simply.

"And how are we going to do that?" Zoë narrowed her eyes looking for a way to get those answers.

"You," Silver pointedly looked at every one of them in the room, "will do not'ing. This is somet'ing meself an' Andreas will take care of."

"And if he doesn't talk?" It was Jim's turn to question Silver.

"I doubt it, Jim," Silver told him, "I know many techniques." And with a grim face Silver left most likely to find Andreas.

Kate looked over at Zoë to find her biting her lip with concern written across her face. Assuming Zoë's concern was about her recent spat with Edmund, Kate spoke:

"Eddie just needs to calm down. He has no idea what really went down," she tried to comfort the pink haired girl.

Zoë shook her head; her pink curls bouncing. "Nah, it isn't that I am concerned about."

"Then what is?" Jim asked.

"I truly believe that Malcolm isn't gonna talk. He would rather die then give away his employer," she stated grimly.

"Why do you believe that?" Kate didn't like where this conversation was going. If Malcolm won't talk then his employer will still be out there searching for her and therefore the entire crew of _Serenity_. She gulped waiting for her answer.

"He's afraid of whomever hired him," Zoë stated cryptically, "he fears what that guy can do to him more than whatever Silver can dream up; I'm sure of it."

"That's new," Jim said frustrated, "how come you didn't tell me this earlier?"

"I forgot," she said honestly and then she sighed. "Well I also thought that if I told ya you guys would back out of the plan to expose Malcolm, so I figure to just wait to tell ya that piece of news. Sorry." She quickly apologized and Jim just waved it off.

"Don't worry," he told her which instantly relieved the grey eyed girl. "At least we know now which is better than not knowing."

There was a silence after that as the three of them gathered their thoughts together. Zoë could not wrap her mind around the idea that Malcolm was out of her hair for, at least a good long while. She was free to do whatever she wanted without the fear of punishment. A smile graced her features for a moment before disappearing as she thought about her recent situation with Eddie. She came to the conclusion that she needed to talk him as soon as possible.

Right before Zoë could reach the door. Jim called out. "Wait a minute, Zoë."

She paused and turned around. "Yes, Hawkins."

"Could you do me a favor and find Morph for me? He should be somewhere by the longboats. I told him to wait for me to come back and if I didn't then to go find Silver," he explained in a rush.

Zoë smiled. "Sure I can do that; I've missed that pink blob," she added thoughtfully as she walked out of the engine room.

Jim then turned his attention to Kate. "So you figured it out, huh?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Yeah it made sense and I can be an optimist when I want to be."

Jim smiled at her statement but it quickly was turned into a frown. "Again, I'm sorry for-," he was cut off.

"Let it go, Jim," she sighed. "What happened happened; and I let it happen. And it worked too. We now know for sure that _Serenity_ is free of mutineers, so it was well worth it."

Jim reluctantly nodded accepting Kate's words. "Do you believe that Zoë is right about Malcolm not talking?" He asked her wondering her opinion on the subject. Jim was not quite sure if Malcolm was going to talk or not. The brief interaction with the giant had him convinced that Malcolm would never quit on his job. Unless Malcolm accidentally lets something slip, which was a possibility, Jim was quite certain that they will not learn anything new.

Kate was thoughtful for a moment; biting her lip in concentration. "I honestly don't know, Jim."

"I find it humorous that even though I am Captain of this vessel; none of you came to inform me of what was really going on," Amelia stated from the doorway earning a surprised jump from the duo of her unknown presence in the room.

"Yeah," added Sebes who had also entered the room. "The drama on this boat is entertaining enough to make the work load here less of a drag." Jim and Kate had to contain their smiles from showing as Amelia turned to face Sebes with a more stern expression on her face than before.

She gave a polite cough and then Sebes finally realized his mistake as he did a double take at the appearance of the Captain. Apparently he had forgotten to whom he was exactly speaking to. "Well wit-with all due re-respect, ma'am," he stuttered slowly backing out of the room.

"I lo-love working on this beautiful boat and with a fe…uh, Captain as wonderful as you. I will, uh just be going to supervise the dec-deck," Sebes finally concluded walking as fast as he could away from the fuming Captain.

"Now," Amelia started again, "James Hawkins why was I not informed of this plan?"

Jim gulped. "We figured the less people who knew about it the better, ma'am."

Amelia nodded at his explanation but then she narrowed her eyes at the pair. "I agree with that Mr. Hawkins, however, I am the Captain of this ship and I should be informed of the comings and goings at all times. Do you both understand?"

"But I didn't know of the plan either." Kate protested.

Amelia's brows went up. "Really?"

Kate nodded enthusiastically at Amelia while at the same time kicking Jim in the shin preventing him from saying anything different. She heard an 'ouch' and then could feel his glare on the back of her head.

"Well, in the future, Mr. Hawkins make sure to inform me of anything relevant to this ship and its contents. Understood?" Amelia's glare could have killed someone.

"Yes ma'am," Jim answered her.

"Very good," she said now smiling. "And since you were the highest ranking officer on board that was aware of this so called 'plan' I need you to do an aspect of my job, if you would be so kind." From the way Amelia had said her last words it did not sound like a request but merely a demand.

"Of course," he grimaced at her tone.

"I need you to make a transmission call to a Robert Volker and inform him of our current situation and recent events," she told him.

Jim brightened as he recognized Volker's name. "Will do."

Amelia nodded at them before taking her leave. At the shut of the engine door Jim spun on Kate.

"You little liar," he accused her, a smile playing on his lips. Kate only shrugged at his comment as she slowly stood up testing how far she could go.

"I've been called worse..," she mumbled thoughtfully.

"That's not point," Jim said loudly as he followed her around the room. "You lied to the Captain, –"

"About something that was not necessary to disclose and if I did I would have gotten in as much trouble as you did," Kate finished before him. "And besides it was a half-truth."

Jim snorted. "There is no such thing as a half-truth; it is still considered a lie."

"Your just looking at the glass half-empty," she retorted. "Be more positive."

"There is nothing positive about lying," Jim said exhausted with the whole argument. "You owe me one," he finally concluded.

"Oh please," Kate laughed lightly. "I owe you more than one and I'm not even counting this one. You've saved my life. Twice." Kate thought for a moment and then added, "Well this time you did put me in that situation so, yeah, I owe ya one."

"You're unbelievable," Jim got closer to her. "I've done more than save your life twice. I've gotten rid of mutineers for you. I've left my family. My home. Without my connection to Silver you wouldn't even be on this ship! Let alone alive and unharmed."

Jim's breathing was fast and shallow. He was furious and angry at this girl. All he wanted was a simple 'thank you' or 'I'm grateful' but no; all he got was an 'I owe ya one'. He risked everything just help out a stranger that he met a little more than a month again. He could not understand why Kate wasn't more grateful for it. Jim finally looked Kate in the eye after taking a moment to calm down. She was wide-eyed with shock.

Kate, in all honesty, had only been half serious about her comments. She did not think that her words would have affected him as much as they did. So she was shocked when Jim suddenly exploded at her; not only leaving her speechless but cornering her against the wall as well. Noticing her shock, Jim backed up a bit to only give her some breathing room.

"Sorry," she told him earnestly. "About my earlier comments. I've had a long day."

That seemed to calm Jim down a bit but Kate wasn't done. "However, you had a choice to come or not, so I am not going to apologize for something that was entirely your decision. I warned everybody before this expedition was even planned; that you were all going to risk your lives, homes, and safety. Please do not blame for your actions."

On Kate's last word she pushed Jim away and stalked toward her bedroom.

"Wait," Jim called out and Kate reluctantly stopped walking but didn't turn around. "I'm sorry too I guess for overrating..., I tend to do that sometimes."

Kate turned around and slowly smiled. "I know," she said, "and thanks again for saving my life. You should go contact Volker."

Jim nodded and left to go talk to Commander Robert Volker. Hoping that it will go well.

**A/N: Alright no cliffhanger.., this time. Muhaha. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as you apparently did the last one. Also I am busier this summer than I thought I would be so there may only be an update once a month. SORRY! This story will continue, I promise.**

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to my reviewers. That was the most reviewed chapter yet! I would give y'all candy if I could!**

**Responses to Reviewers****:**

**MistressTaco****: Yup, he's back! Thanks for the review.**

**Lenixxx****: I'm glad you are liking the new OCs and I agree that new OCs do keep things fresh. Thanks!**

**OMGitsEMILY****: :P and there will be more to come. Thanks for all the compliments fellow fangirl! Really! Were you right with your theory? Hahaha. I completely had forgotten about Avatar when I was writing that chapter. So no that's not it haha. You are so not getting carried away with it…it's just addicting is all. :D**

**Chasingtheday****: Thanks me too!**

**Penspot****: O.o I totally thought you were for real for the first couple micro-seconds. I'm glad you are liking it!**

**Star145****: Aww a new reviewer! Yay! Thank you! Really a sequel? I wasn't planning on it…, but I don't know. We'll have to wait and see.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Nineteen:**

Jim slowly made his way toward the small communications room located on the other side of _Serenity_. Using his time to think of what he was going to say to Volker. Of course he was going to tell him the truth. After all Amelia went to him immediately after Kate was carried into Benbow to set up security. This obviously did not go so well in space.

Jim sighed. He wasn't doing he's job very well according to his high standards. Kate kept receiving injuries that seemed quite frequent this past week. If this continues to repeat itself Kate may not be around much longer. Jim's jaw clenched and his fist tightened at this thought. He had to do better for the rest of their journey together. There was no other option.

He got into the small room, closing the door behind him as he turned on the transmission screen connecting to the network. It linked every important emergency channel and ILE station in the Etherium. Jim hoped that Volker was on duty as he started to make the call.

"Montressor Space Port. Rank and name please," commanded a female voice.

"Captain James P. Hawkins requesting a private channel with Commander Volker," he told the voice.

After a minute of silence the voice came back. "Request accepted."

The screen that had been blurry and unfocused a mere second ago suddenly changed to show the calm, cool, and collected face of Commander Volker. He wore a small smile on his lips and his eyes looked tired but brighter than the last time Jim had talked to him.

"Ah, Captain James Hawkins," he greeted. "I was wondering when I would be talking to you again."

"I have an update for you sir," Jim explained, "about the Kayser protection detail you arranged for Captain Amelia."

Volker immediately straightened his back and narrowed his eyes as soon as Jim had said 'Kayser'; Volker's full attention was now on his job and nothing more.

"Yes," Volker nodded. "I assigned a well-trained, trustworthy crew for Amelia to ensure that the ship would be defensible from any attack." He thought for a moment as confusion crossed his features. "Wait. Why isn't Amelia giving me this update?"

"The update I have for you, sir, it's complicated and Captain Amelia wasn't directly involved with recent events that have taken place."

"But you were?" Volker questioned and he was answered by Jim's nod. "Continue, please."

"I'm sorry to tell you, sir, that the crew you assigned is no longer on this boat. We all believed them to be part of a mutiny. So all but one member of your crew is off ship, sir." Silence was met with this confession. Volker seemed surprised at this especially since he was the one that assigned the crew to the Kayser protection detail, Jim thought that was logical.

"This was supported by strong evidence, correct?" Volker sternly asked.

"Of course."

Volker reluctantly nodded at this. "And the one crew member that is aboard?"

"He is currently being questioned about his employer," Volker's eyes widened at this statement.

"What did he do?" Anger was now flowing through his voice.

"The crew member, Malcolm, was found by me threatening Ms. Kayser for the award of trying to find the treasure that rightfully belongs to her."

Volker ran his hand through his graying hair. "Why was he the only mutineer to stay onboard?"

"The rest of the crew believed Katharine Kayser to be dead, so they left ship. We, uh well tricked Malcolm into going after Ms. Kayser and exposing himself as a mutineer." Jim finished his explanation.

Volker shook his head grimly. "Give my apologies to Amelia. I had no idea…,"

He trailed off as he hung his head in defeat. "I understand sir." Jim told him.

"If Amelia requires a new crew I will gladly assist with locating a more qualified crew," Volker offered.

"That is not necessary. Captain Amelia has already located a new smaller crew for the rest of the voyage," Jim told the Commander.

"Very good," Volker gulped. "Where did you drop off the majority of the crew?"

"At Inari," Jim answered. "We just left a couple hours ago."

The Commander nodded. "Sounds good. Give my apologies to Amelia. I hope the rest of your journey goes as planned. Keep me updated."

"Thank you, sir."

Their communication was cut off and Jim was left with just his thoughts. He thought it was odd that the Commander did not ask for any specifics of the past events. But, then again, Volker seemed to trust Amelia enough to handle something as big as the Kayser legacy. Plus Jim had also received some good words from the Commander about his work as Captain so far. Jim believed that they had done no harm on their part on tricking the mutineers off the ship. So why was he feeling that his conversation with Volker did not go as well as it should have?

Jim just shrugged it off. If Commander Volker had an issue with what had happened than he would have said something besides 'Give my apologies to Amelia'. He had clearly felt extremely guilty for the trouble his crew had caused on board _Serenity_. Jim just hoped that the rest of the voyage went as smooth as the Commander hoped it will.

* * *

Zoë crept carefully around the longboats whistling. She was hoping that Morph would recognize her whistle and come but no such luck. Zoë didn't want anyone else to know she was here therefore using a whistle to call for Morph instead of merely shouting for him. Letting out a deep sigh in defeat she realized that she may be caught down here and then may have to explain the tear streaks on her cheeks.

"Morph," she called. "Come on Morph, it's your friend Zoë. Jim sent me to get ya." She whistled a little more loudly. Not long after her whistle she heard a crash and then the murmurs of a pink blob zipping around her head. He was quickly shifting into different shapes and people trying to get answers from the girl.

"Calm down Morphy," she instructed gently. "Everybody is safe and for the most part happy."

The shape shifter let out an exhausted sigh in relief and then looked back at Zoë in gratitude when he noticed that Zoë looked upset. Morph muttered some consolable murmurs of comfort and caressed Zoë's cheek.

"I'm okay," she told him softly as she sat down on a box. "I just wish that Eddie would have just come to me." She paused for a moment and then added, "Or that I would have came to him and told him everything."

Holding her head in her hands she mumbled, "I'm just screwing everything up. My life, my friends, and now, Eddie."

"You're not the only one," said a low voice from behind Zoë. She whipped around and found Eddie sitting up against the wall behind her. He did not look good. Zoë imagined that she probably looked pretty damn close. His blonde hair hung in over his eyes because he had let it grow out through the course of the voyage. He ran his hand through it and looked at the pink haired girl with sad eyes.

"I'm so sorry Zo," he apologized.

"What for?" She asked shocked at his apology. Zoë didn't tell him anything about her past with Malcolm and as far as she was concerned nobody had told Eddie about her past as was her wish.

"Well," he started as he slowly stood up. "For one thing, eavesdropping on you just now." Eddie slowly walked toward her and kneeled down in front of her. "And for my overreaction. I should have trusted you and the others. Or just have asked you. Zo, I'm sorry, and I'm listening now."

She whimpered. "No, I'm sorry. You've always been patient wit-with me and I should have just to-told you." Zoë started to cry.

"Shh, don't cry, none of this was your fault," he told her softly as he held her close to his chest as she quietly cried.

Zoë nodded into his chest. "Ye-yes, it is. I should ha-have just told you from th-the beginning."

"No, stop it," he said gently. "There was no reason for you to have told me anything about your past or Malcolm. It's my fault. I should have been more patient and understanding that you needed to take your own time."

She sniffled and finally looked back up at his face. "That does make sense." Eddie chuckled at her comment. "How did ya come to that conclusion?"

"I had a little chat with Sebes," Edmund confessed and at Zoë's shocked expression he elaborated, "Yeah, I was surprised too, but he seemed to understand and know what I was going through."

"But how?"

"I don't know. I didn't think it was my place to ask him but if I were to guess," he sighed, "he probably knew from experience."

Zoë smiled. "I'm glad he was there for ya."

"Me too."

Zoë couldn't believe it. After weeks on board _Serenity_ she finally felt safe. No more will Malcolm be breathing down her neck at every step she took. No more running from her past or not being able to trust anyone. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she finally felt free. The name _Serenity_ took on a whole new meaning for her and she fully relaxed; letting herself melt into Edmund's embrace.

Traveling with complete strangers had never sat well with her. It always made her suspicious of everyone around her. Zoë blamed Malcolm for that, but now that he was gone from her life she could finally see the beauty of traveling with strangers. Meeting new people and sharing experiences together that will always keep them together. Linked in memories forever. Edmund, Kate, Jim, Silver, and everyone else on the ship now held the pink haired girl's hope for a better future. She finally found people she could trust completely.

Zoë took a deep breath resting her head on Eddie's shoulder. "I want to tell you," she told him, "about my past."

* * *

Morph zoomed around the ship trying to locate anyone on board the ship besides Zoë and Eddie. He wanted to see everyone and show them the good news that Zoë and Eddie were okay and happy. The pink blob zipped quickly by the galley and then came to halt. Turning back around he realized that there was some chatter coming from the galley and happily entered. With the exception of Zoë and Eddie; and Alyane and Sebes who were on watch that night, everybody else was present in the galley.

"So," Mr. Cooper interrupted the chatter in the galley with his booming voice, "you two got nothing?"

He looked toward Silver and Andreas; they confirmed his question with a grim nod of their heads. Morph went straight to Kate who was sitting on a table up against one of galley's walls and pulled a piece of her hair.

"Ow," she said rather loudly which caused everyone to look at her, "oh, hiya there Morphy." She caught the blob started to pet him. "Looks like Zoë found Morph, Jim." Kate called out to Jim who was standing next to the galley's entrance. He smiled in response as the chatter started up again.

"How could this be?" Doc questioned the room.

"He clearly fears his employer greater than whatever his punishment he will receive from us," stated Amelia disappointed in this fact.

"Or," Kate said slowly, "he hopes that he will be saved from whatever punishment and will be awarded even more so by his employer for not spilling."

"It's not looking deh latter is gonna happen, Miss Kayser," Andreas said in a grunt.

"It doesn't mean that he won't still hope for it to happen," she retorted back, "and for all we know it may happen."

"I highly doubt..," Amelia started but was cut off.

"Just like you doubted anything was going to happen with the protection of ILE backing you up?" Kate snapped back nearly shouting. Amelia was open mouthed at her outburst while Jim and Mr. Cooper merely raised an eyebrow. It took a few moments for Kate to come to her senses.

She sighed. "Sorry about that. I think I'm going to try and sleep now." She questioned herself as she slowly got up walked out of the galley with everybody's eyes on her and Morph following closely behind.

"Is she alright?" Doc questioned looking from Silver to Jim.

Silver answered first. "She'll be fine."

Then Jim spoke up. "This doesn't mean that she doesn't have a point."

"Yes, of course," Mr. Cooper added, "we all must be more cautious. Anything may happen. I am also greatly worried that there are so few of us but if we all stay on high alert we should all get through this little adventure alright."

There was a brief moment of silence that followed before Amelia spoke up:

"Mr. Hawkins," she started, "were you able to contact Mr. Volker?"

Jim nodded. "He sends his apologies for recent events."

She nodded at this. "Let us pray gents, that we don't have a repeat."

* * *

Something felt off and it did not sit well with Kate. Yes the mutineers were off of the ship and Kate was for the most part fine and protected; but something still felt wrong. This feeling bubbled in her stomach and became stronger once she heard the news that Malcolm was not talking. Zoë's prediction was right which Kate was hoping would not be. It meant that whoever was the behind the mutineers and Malcolm was still out there and will not be giving up anytime soon.

Kate was consumed by these thoughts as she walked to the hall toward her room. So absorbed she didn't seem to notice Alayne walking towards her trying to gain her attention but failing to do so. Alayne had to stop the girl with both hands on her shoulders before Kate was snapped back into attention of her surroundings.

"Katharine?" Alayne questioned concerned that there was something seriously wrong.

"Hmm?" Kate replied back stupidly trying to regain her focus.

Alayne narrowed her eyes searching Kate's face. "Are you experiencing any pain child?"

Kate was taken aback. "Uh, physically no?" She answered with a question back at the foreign alien.

"Not sure?" Alayne was amused.

"Yes.., I mean no," she stuttered. Kate took a deep breath and started again. "Yes I am physically fine, just exhausted."

"Obviously," Alayne replied glancing at the pink blob behind the girl who had been trying to get Kate's attention by tugging on a strand of her hair.

"Sorry Morph," she apologized taking the blob into her hands. Alayne smiled at this and started to walk away. "Alayne wait," Kate called her back needing to acquire about something that has been on the girl's mind for some time.

"Yes," Alayne waited patiently for a response as Kate collected her thoughts.

"When you healed me," Kate paused and then clarified, "the first time, I mean. I don't know how but somehow you knew..," Kate paused unsure on how to explain. "Eddie was right wasn't he? You did know something."

"Know what, dear?" Alayne scrunched her eyebrows together in thought.

"About what was going to happen."

"When?"

"After you healed me, before Malcolm's attack."

"I'm sorry Katharine, but how was I suppose to know that?" Alayne questioned with wide eyes.

Kate narrowed her gaze on the blue alien. "You're not a very good liar." At this comment Alayne looked as though she was on the verge of explaining what had happened to the stubborn Kayser when they were interrupted.

"Alayne," Jim started, "Captain wants a word with you." Alayne nodded relieved at Jim's good timing and went to search for Captain Amelia. Jim turned to face a glaring Kate.

"What?" He asked clueless.

Too exhausted to argue Kate said, "nothing," and continued to walk back to their room with Jim walking behind her.

"You want to talk about it?" Jim asked her when they were finally alone.

"Talk about what?"

"Malcolm," Jim stated and noticed Kate tense a bit. "Him not talking affected you."

"If you're talking about my outburst earlier..-"

"Yeah, you were tired," Jim finished, "but you tensing up and not paying attention…," Jim shook his head. "You being exhausted has nothing to do with _that_."

Kate quickly spun around to face Jim; accidently throwing poor Morph who had been busy playing with her hair during their conversation. "We've been on this ship only for a few weeks…haven't known each other for that long and you think you already know me?"

"Kate, you were nearly killed by him."

She scoffed at him. "I've been nearly killed by a lot creeps."

"This creep is different," Jim was careful not to yell back at her, "and that has you scared."

Kate's eyes widened for a millisecond before she caught herself but it was too late. Jim had caught her slip up and he crossed his arms waiting for her to explain.

"Just leave me alone, Jim," she said stubbornly turning around toward her room. He rolled his eyes and quickly forced himself between Kate and her bedroom door. _She couldn't get away from him that easily…_

"What the hell Hawkins!" She exclaimed trying to shove past him. He easily grabbed her wrists trying to ignore her intoxicating smell that became more prudent as she was trying to get around him. It was a sweet smell and he deduced that it was some mixture of honey and cinnamon which only made him pull her closer.

"You're not as good as a liar as you think, _Kayser." _This comment made Kate stop thrashing around to look at him with the feeling of curiously and anger battling for dominance within her. She didn't like him calling her by that name.

"Since when have you started calling me by my surname?"

Jim paused. "So you can call me by mine but I can't call you by yours?" His warm breath hit her face making her lean in reflexively.

"It's either that or Jimbo, Hawkins." Kate hissed and Jim was about to respond but then shook his head at her.

"Nice distraction," he commented and Kate looked down in defeat.

"Can't say I didn't try," she muttered looking at anything but Jim who was still gripping her wrists sending sparks down her arms. Kate shook them to try and get her own feeling back in her arms.

"Can ya let me go now?" She asked irritated.

Jim raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you gonna talk now?"

She huffed at him and stumped on his foot. He barely flinched but a look of irritation crossed his features. "A 'no' would have sufficed," he said through clenched teeth.

"But that was more fun," she smirked up at him. "And besides even if I had just said 'no'…wouldn't I still be here?"

He just glared at Kate and she met his glare with one of her. Then Morph came out of nowhere and started talking gibberish in their faces. Morph pointed at Kate then back at Jim before turning into a floating, talking mouth. Kate instantly frowned as Jim smirked in triumph.

"Thanks Morph," Jim said still smirking at the dark eyed girl.

"Yeah thanks Morph," Kate said sarcastically. Morph didn't seem to get her tone because he did a little bow and then left them alone.

"You've corrupted the little blob," she stated more seriously.

Jim just shrugged at her. "Talk," he ordered.

Kate looked down for a second and mumbled, "Something feels wrong..," she looked back up at him and noticed his confused features and shrugged. "I don't know something about this whole Malcolm situation doesn't sit well with me…and well..,"

She stopped talking and she hide her face behind her auburn hair. Jim turned sympathetic and slowly released her but she still did not move. "Kate…?" Jim wanted her to continue but wasn't sure on how to proceed.

Kate sniffed. "I'm really scared Jim an-and not because of Malcolm bu-but the situation is just…uh really different. And I really want to," she bit her lip not sure if she should tell Jim this but decided to anyways, "I really want to talk to…well Malcolm on my own and see what I can get out of him."

Looking back at Jim's face was mistake. Her telling him about her intentions was an even bigger mistake. He was clenching his fists and his eyes were narrowed her. _Shit..,_ she thought bitterly, _now I'm never going to be allowed out of here._

"You are not going to see that creep by yourself," he scolded her.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh, okay. Can I go to bed now? I really am exhausted." She yawned to prove her point.

He crossed his arms looking suspicious. "Sure," he replied stiffly.

"Geez, and I thought you were a rule breaker," she told him smirking. He smiled back and Kate startled him by rushing in for a hug.

"Thank you by the way," she mumbled into his shirt, "it helped getting all of that off my chest."

Jim gingerly wrapped his arms around her slim waist drawing her closer. "You're welcome."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, again not a dramatic ending but the next chapter will be more dramatic…or at least in the beginning I hope. I AM SO SORRY! I know it took forever to get this out and written and some of you may have given up on me but I swear I will NOT stop writing this story even if I stop getting reviews. However reviews are nice so leave some pretty please with a cherry on top. ;D**

**I am back at school and busier than I have ever been before. I am now in a co-service frat and a swimming team type thing so that's like ten hours of my time a week. I will try and update once a month but I warn you writer's block can come at anytime. It's frustrating.**

**Only two reviews this time but they were awesome reviews so all is forgiven.**

**Response to Reviewers:**

**Randomwriter118: I really owe this chapter to you. Your review made my night and made me determined to finish this chapter. You made an account just for my story! I flipped out! O.o That's crazy and so flattering. Thanks for all the compliments…I hope I don't disappoint you! Thank you SO much!**

**OMGitsEMILY: Yay! I got it done before Monday! You don't have to throw stuff at me. (sigh) I'm glad your theory was right. Hahaha I didn't even think of Hagrid and then I read over it and I was like 'I can totally see what you were talking about' lol. Okay okay okay okay….yeah they are going to kiss…soon for sure. I promise but I like the frustrating, stubborn romances hahaha.**

**Press that button! :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Twenty:**

Silver was going to kill Jim.

Jim was sure of it. After Amelia had ended their little meeting in the galley Silver had gone up to Jim to ask him a favor. Jim thanked the stars that it wasn't any more plans of involving Kate's safety or anybody else's for that matter…but still. Silver had asked Jim to hold on to one of the set of keys to the brig where Malcolm was being held.

Why they had two sets of keys? Jim did not know. But he was secretly glad that Silver had given him a set. He had planned to do what Kate was planning to do earlier.

Talk to Malcolm.

Now, however, he was feeling like a hypocrite if he actually went to talk to Malcolm after telling Kate it was a bad idea. But Jim had a feeling that Malcolm may let something slip if he were to say the right things. Jim shook his head. If only he knew what the right things to say were…

This notion of going to talk to Malcolm alone was a moot point now. Jim had lost the keys Silver had given him. The young Captain was now swearing in his bedroom rummaging through his bed sheets and dresser drawers thinking he had misplaced them somewhere in his room.

"Think, think, think," Jim told himself over and over again trying to assess where exactly he misplaced the keys. He remembered Silver handing them over and then Jim had placed them securely in his back pocket. Jim absentmindedly put his hand in his back pocket again thinking for a second that they were still magically there.

"Shit," he cursed. No such luck.

After Jim left the galley he went straight to his room to confront Kate. He was pretty certain that he had the keys in his pocket during the confrontation…unless they fell out while Kate was trying to shove past him. Ignoring the fact that Jim was in his sleepwear which meant no shirt; he stomped out of his room to search for the keys.

A few choice words later Jim was still key-less and shirtless. Realizing that he was probably going to up all night anyways searching for the keys he started to head back to his room to put on his day clothes. That's when it hit him.

"I never took them out..," he said aloud and then turned around quickly and went straight to Kate's door. Walking back to his bedroom door made Jim recall his memory that he never actually took the keys out of his pocket which meant he didn't misplace and if they weren't lying around in the engine room then…

"Kate," Jim called pounding on her bedroom door for only a minute before opening it. The young Kayser was not in her room.

"Damn it," Jim swore yet again as he ran out of the room towards the brig. Kate was too mischievous for her own damn good. Jim was positive she was going to get herself killed some day. That thought only made him run faster. Turning the corner he saw Kate about to enter the brig and he sprinted with his remaining strength to intercept her.

* * *

Jim was going to kill her.

Kate was not in denial about this fact. But she could not resist when she saw those keys in Jim's pocket. She was very tempted to smack him upside the head when she first realized what he was planning on doing. Jim having those keys in his pocket meant that he was planning on doing what she had wanted to do.

Talk to Malcolm.

But oh no. According to Jim that was a big mistake. He scolded her like a child for even thinking about going to talk to Malcolm by herself; and yet Jim was planning on doing the exact same thing. It was easy. As she hugged Jim she just slipped the keys out of his pocket without him knowing.

The hard part was staying awake long enough to slip out of the room and talk to Malcolm so that nobody would notice her missing. Kate had her pajamas on just in case she got caught out of her room. She could easily make the 'I needed a drink of water' excuse. Although she did have her boots on to hide the switchblade she needed in order to talk to Malcolm. Kate carefully walked to the brig. Lucky for her she met nobody on the way there.

Unlucky for her, just as she was about to put the key in the door an unknown force slammed into her causing her to lose her balance. The 'force' however kept her standing with her back against the wall and her hands above her head. Her hands were key-less and she looked around desperately for them till she found them scattered on the floor a couple yards away. She opened her mouth to yell for help but was prevented from doing so when a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Give me one reason to why I shouldn't have you locked in your room for the rest of the voyage?" A voice growled at her as he relinquished her mouth of his hand. Kate narrowed her eyes as she realized who the voice belonged to and began to struggle even more.

"Because it's much more fun being slammed up against the wall every time I try and do something using my free will," she explained angrily with a sarcastic tone to her reasoning. Kate did not like this position at all. She felt vulnerable and because of her lack of needed sleep a little weak; her admittance to this made her wince as more anger fueled her efforts to escape Jim's grasp.

"Very funny," he told her not amused and unaffected by her increased struggles.

Kate abruptly stopped struggling and glared at Jim furiously. "You're a damn hypocrite!" She exclaimed feeling betrayed. "I wouldn't be here if you didn't plan on doing this yourself!"

"How do you know that?" Jim inquired.

Kate gaped. "Because you had the keys in your back pocket!" She stated loudly as her anger grew.

"So? That doesn't necessarily mean I was coming here to do what you wanted to do." Jim said calmly.

She cocked an eyebrow at this. "Oh, yeah?"

Jim flinched and then proceeded to nod. Kate did not believe him for a second and Jim cursed inwardly. "You're not a very good liar, either. How else would you have known I had stolen the keys if you weren't planning on using them tonight?"

He blinked at her. "You have a very good point." At his confession Kate scowled and started to struggle again and she stomped on his foot…again. "Will you stop doing that?"

"Let me go," she growled at him. Jim opened his mouth to speak but Kate interrupted. "It's not like I'm going to try and do it again tonight," she said flippantly. "You're here and besides I really am exhausted."

Jim searched her face for sincerity or a sign of her lying to him. Finding nothing to not take her seriously, he reluctantly released his hold on her. They looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before they both dashed for the keys that were dropped on the floor. Jim got them first and Kate pouted angrily as he dangled them just above her reach.

"Damn it Hawkins," she swore. "You really are no fun."

"Tomorrow night, Kate."

She blinked and shock flitted across her features. "What?"

"Just wait twenty four hours, then you can talk to Malcolm," he explained calmly.

"Seriously?" Kate asked surprised at his sudden change of heart.

"Yes," Jim was serious. "But you're going to have to listen to me."

Kate nodded absentmindedly already planning her confrontation with Malcolm. She was shocked that Jim was allowing this. He took his job as her bodyguard very seriously and going into the brig all by themselves with a man twice Kate and Jim's size combined wasn't the definition of safe.

Jim wasn't so convinced that Kate had understood his requirement so he gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "You have to listen to me. And when I say we're done, we are done. Am I understood?"

She met his eyes. "Yes sir," she said without a patronizing tone. Jim seemed to have accepted it and they began their walk back to the room. Kate walked slightly behind him eying him carefully. Just waiting for him to turn around to tell her that he changed his mind. It didn't happen. But she did notice one thing.

Jim was shirtless.

Had he been this entire time? Kate trekked back into the recent past events of the evening and realized that Jim had been. She couldn't prevent the blush that started to fill up her face. What was it with them and personal space? It seemed to be every day that he had pressed himself against her and despite Kate's protests she had enjoyed it. This admission only made Kate blush harder.

And this time he was shirtless. Why didn't she notice it before?

Jim opened the engine door for her and Kate had to avert her eyes from him to prevent herself from further embarrassment but it was too late. She could tell by Jim's chuckle that he had seen her face. Rolling her eyes she headed straight to bed.

"Like what you see, Kate?" Jim smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said unconvincingly.

"Sure ya don't," he replied sarcastically as he purposefully stretched dramatically and leaned against the wall by his bedroom. Kate had turned around at his reply and to Jim's further amusement she was still blushing.

At his dramatic stretching she had rolled her eyes. "Please Hawkins; I do not want your ego to get any bigger than it already is."

Jim raised an eyebrow at this. "It won't Kate I promise. I already knew you liked it."

Kate stammered for a coherent response but could find none. Jim smirked again at her before returning to bed for the night. She blamed her exhaustion for her inability to find a comeback to defend herself and proceeded to fall into bed.

* * *

The next morning Jim did not even bother waiting for Kate to get out of bed. With how exhausted she was the previous night he doubted that she would even attempt to leave her warm bed at all till tonight. So he went down to galley for breakfast alone but as soon as he walked into the galley he wished he would have waited. The small group of crew mates who were occupying a table suddenly stopped talking as soon as Jim entered the room.

He crossed his arms at them. "What's going on?"

Andreas immediately brought a mug to his lips his scarred face showing indifference. As Sebes gave Jim a bright smile beaming innocence as he told him 'Good morning'. However Eddie was looking extremely guilty.

"No-Nothing Jim, nothing at all," he managed to mutter out stuffing his face with a purp afterwards.

"Right," Jim said not convinced taking a seat next to Edmund. Looking at every one of their faces waiting for one of them to crack.

Sebes did. "C'mon guys," he prodded his friends. "It's not like we were saying anything awful."

"Then what was it?" Jim asked curious.

"Might not have been awful, Sebes but Jim may still get plenty mad 'bout it," Eddie admitted warily not daring to even glance at Jim.

"I know I would," Andreas grunted wiping crumbs off of his dark beard.

Sebes rolled his big eyes. "That's because your species is known for your anger getting out of control."

"You're lucky I don't have me ax on me self," Andreas threatened glaring at the bug-liked creature.

"Or maybe it's just you're known for your anger getting a bit out of control," Sebes thought out loud which earned him a hard punch on his arm. "Thanks for proving my statement, my old friend." Sebes said through clenched lips as he rubbed his arm.

Muttering something about 'not being old' Andreas stood up to get seconds as Jim still waited for an answer. He jumped a bit, however, when Eddie suddenly slammed his cup down and pointed a finger at Jim.

"You cannot get mad," he demanded.

"Okay," Jim reluctantly agreed.

"We were, uh, discussing," Eddie seemed not so sure on how to say this, "you and um, Kate's relationship."

Jim's eyebrows shot up. "What relationship?" He asked clueless.

"Oh you can't be that daft," Sebes exclaimed. "Anybody on this ship can see that there is something else going on between the two of you behind closed doors." He stated with seriousness as Eddie nodded in agreement.

"What? No-Nothing is-," Jim started to say through his shock.

"Boy now yer just lying through yeh teeth," Andreas growled through the smirk on his face sitting back down next to Sebes.

"But-," Jim tired again.

"Yeah we've seen the way ya two look at each other," Sebes winked.

"Wait a second!" Jim said rather loudly. "We are not. Together."

"I hear disappointment," Sebes commented with a sly grin. "Maybe we were wrong boys."

"Well not completely wrong," Andreas shifted his beady dark eyes toward Jim. Everybody looked at him expectedly as if waiting for a confession of some sort and Jim just stared wide-eyed at them not quite sure on what to say.

_Oh shit, _Jim cursed mentally. He realized they weren't going to leave him alone about this. Why did he have to answer to them anyways? Sure. He was disappointed that he couldn't say that they were together. But hell anybody would be.

Of course it was just him that had that near kiss with Kate in the closest that one time. And sure, they've been flirting non-stop since they've met but that didn't mean anything. Did it? No it didn't mean anything. For one thing there was no way anything could happen between them.

Their lives were on the line. They both needed to focus on keeping everybody alive and he needed to focus on keeping her alive. It was hard enough now but if he was distracted…

Jim shook himself internally out of those bad thoughts. Then a pang of guilt hit him when reality of what was going to happen tonight came to him. He promised Kate to take her to talk to Malcolm. At the time he thought he was doing his job of protecting her making this promise. This way Kate wouldn't sneak around to talk to Malcolm by herself…Jim will be there with her. And that thought alone made him feel better about the situation.

A smile crept on his face when he remembered Kate's face and inability to speak when they got back to their room. That had been far too amusing. He heard a fake cough trying to cover up a laugh and Jim was cut short of his reverie. The "cough" had come from Eddie who had abruptly stopped himself from laughing further at Jim's glare.

"What?" Jim asked impatiently.

They all glanced at each other. "Well, Hawkins your face just said it all, tha's all," Sebes admitted with a sly grin.

Jim threw his hands up in surrender for a moment. "Fine. Are Kate and I…together? No. Do I wish we were? Yes. Happy?" He directed the last question toward his school friend.

Eddie grinned broadly. "Yes I am. Thank you." Jim rolled his eyes. "Oh c'mon Jim, with all of the teasing you have done to me about Zoë you deserve a little pay back. And this wasn't even all that bad. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth."

Jim just grunted at this. "So you already knew?"

There were murmurs of 'yes' and 'oh yeah' around the table and Jim rubbed his face with both of his hands. "Great. Just great."

"If it makes ye feel better lad, I don't t'ink Kate knows a t'ing," Andreas confessed and then took a swig of his drink and burped.

"I doubt it," Jim admitted slowly. "I was more worried about the whole crew knowing."

"Too late for that, mate." Edmund said as he slapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks for making me feel better Ed," Jim said frustrated crossing his arms across his chest.

"Speaking the truth, is all. What did you mean by that you 'doubt it'?" Eddie looked at Jim suspiciously and Jim gave him a sheepish look. "Jim what did you do?"

"Nothing," he lied easily as he left the table to grab a purp from where Silver was preparing food. From the distance he could not hear the whispering going on at the table that he just left. But Jim predicted that if they were to talk just a bit louder he would be able to hear every word. He stole a glance at Silver who was smirking at a vegetable he was chopping up.

Jim rolled his eyes. "How much did ya hear?"

"What was t'at Jimbo?" He asked with forced innocence.

"Silver…," Jim urged.

The cyborg paused. "So w'at did ya do?" He asked confirming Jim's fear that he heard everything. Some color rose in Jim's cheeks at this prospect but quickly willed his embarrassment away with a loud sigh.

"Nearly kissed her," he admitted in a whisper then took a large bite out of the purp watching Silver with narrowed eyes as he laughed.

"How in deh blue blazes are yeh still alive?" Silver asked between bursts of his laughter. And despite Jim's embarrassment in the situation he let out a laugh.

"I honestly don't know."

Silver calmed down after a while and eyed Jim thoughtfully. "Since her father's death it has been hard fer Katie ta open up. For her ta let ya get away wit somet'ing like t'at," Silver paused and shook his head smiling, "yeh may be deh only one ta get through ta her."

* * *

Hours later Jim and Kate were found sitting side by side in the engine room waiting for the current watch shift to finish their rounds so they could sneak into the brig. They were both grim faced thinking about what they were about to do or the uncertainty of what Malcolm would say. However Kate couldn't help but think about the earlier conversation she had had with Dr. Doppler.

_It was her third visit to the galley, knowing what was to happen that night Kate was not able to eat anything. But her body needed food otherwise she was going to collapse of hunger soon enough. _And that would be the perfect excuse for Jim to say 'no', _she had thought bitterly._

_Luckily there was no one around so she just grabbed a bowlful of Silver's famous Bonzabeest stew and sat down at a stool just staring at it. That thought of obtaining knowledge through violence did not disturb her as much as the thought of what Malcolm would say._

_Kate hoped to the stars that he would say or give away something useful. She hated being wanted only as a tool for someone else's greed. Kate would give anything to make that go away. And if Malcolm were to say that it will never go away; she wouldn't know what to do anymore. She buried her face in her hands trying to ease away the worries from her mind when she heard someone walking down the stairs toward her._

_It was Doppler. "Ahem," he coughed politely, "hello there." He obviously didn't expect anybody else to be down in the galley, so he sat down awkwardly across from Kate also taking a bowl._

_She nodded in greeting at him and continued to stare at her stew lost in her thoughts as Doppler looked at her thoughtfully. He had wanted to speak with Kate privately for some time but he wondered if now was the right time to bring it up. Kate looked pale and preoccupied with whatever it was that was on her mind._

"_It may be none of my concern," he started awkwardly, "but are you alright?" Kate gave a startled jump not expecting him to actually talk to her._

"_Oh…uh yeah I guess," she started, "just need something to eat." Kate force fed herself a spoonful of Silver's stew trying to act 'alright' around Doppler but he was still eyeing her suspiciously._

"_Right," he said with a nod as he too took a spoonful of his food. "Miss Kayser I've been meaning to talk to you in private about Odysseus for some time now, but I wonder if now is an appropriate time to bring it up."_

"_It's Kate," she told him naturally, "and I could actually use a distraction." She smiled at him, encouraging Doppler to continue._

"_Great," Doppler said excitedly as he pulled out a familiar looking book from his coat. It was the book Kate had flipped through only once before, _The Dangers of the Planet Odysseus. _Kate furrowed her brows trying to think of what Dr. Doppler could possibly want to talk to her about Odysseus. If he had questions about the planet, surely Mr. Copper or his wife could give a correct answer._

"_I've read through this book several times now for preparation sake," he started to ramble, "you know we are only a few days away. It's all quite interesting, exciting stuff if I say so myself. If this wasn't a dangerous voyage I would love to stay on the planet and conduct my own study but perhaps that's better for another time." Doppler took a deep breath and continued. "But I wanted to talk to you about the treasure. I didn't realize until Silver made a comment about a week ago on finding the treasure once we arrive on planet."_

_Kate quickly caught on. "You think you found where the treasure is!" She exclaimed in shock._

_Doppler nodded at first but then shook his head. "I've only found possibilities."_

"_That's better than nothing," she told him not losing hope._

"_I suppose," Doppler mused and then took on a serious look. "What I am about to tell you, I haven't confided in anybody else, not even my wife. I feel, due to past events, we should keep this knowledge between the two of us. The less people who know the better."_

_Kate didn't like the aspect of not telling Silver or even Jim anything having to do with the treasure but she supposed Doppler was right on this. So she nodded at him to show that she agreed with him._

_He put the book on the table between them and started to flip through the pages. "I thought it odd at first that your family would choose to hide their treasure on Odysseus. With all the dangerous aspects of the planet and the fact that it is occupied by an uncivilized population made me unsure that your treasure with on this planet, at all."_

"_You're not the only one who has thought that," Kate told him thinking back to a conversation she had with Silver on the odds of actually finding the treasure on Odysseus._

_Dr. Doppler nodded. "Yes and for all we know whatever is on Odysseus may just be another clue." At Kate's crestfallen look Doppler gave her a look of sympathy. "But the odds, in my opinion, of finding another clue versus finding the treasure are all the same. So don't lose hope."_

_Kate gave him a weak smile. "So you've found possible locations of another clue or the treasure."_

"_Yes," he replied. "Now this possibility is based on generalizations and I don't mean to offend anybody."_

"_Okay," Kate said unsure on where Doppler was going with this._

"_The people who live on Odysseus are known as uncivilized, barbaric creatures, correct?" Kate nodded at him. "Well a generalization is that…uh pirates are also known as uncivilized, barbaric creatures too." Doppler scanned Kate's face for any harm his comment may have done to her feelings but she just rolled her eyes._

"_It's alright, Dr. Doppler," she told him quietly, "I am not offended. I know that the generalization exists, so please continue."_

_He gulped. "I believe that there is a possibility that your family may have formed an alliance with the people on Odysseus in order to protect your treasure or another clue."_

_Kate frowned at this. "Just because pirates and the people on the planet have the same assumptions made about them doesn't exactly mean that there was an alliance made."_

"_I know. That is why this is just a possibility, but think about it." Doppler paused to take another couple spoonfuls of his stew. "The environment of this planet is unstable; your family knew this, which is perhaps why they choose to hide something of value on Odysseus. However, could your family trust the environment of the planet to keep their items of value protected? I think not." _

_He paused again to flip through the book to the section on the people of Odysseus. "I believe that the only way your family could trust their valuables on Odysseus would be to entrust them in the hands of the natives." Doppler pointed a finger at the book indicating Odysseus' population and then leaned back in his chair waiting for Kate's reply._

_She grinned at him. "That is a very good possibility." Kate slid the book over to read it over once more. "I have to agree with you, Dr. Doppler, but out of curiosity, what were your other possibilities?"_

"_Oh, nothing as spectacular as hiding something of value with the natives," he admitted slowly. "I was thinking of hidden chambers in caves or an underwater crevice."_

"_So we should just start searching in caves and lagoons randomly?" Kate asked incredulously._

_Doppler shrugged. "Just possibilities. For all we know your locket is similar to Jim's sphere was and will activate as soon as we're on planet."_

_Kate nodded soaking up the information as she fiddled with the locket around her neck. "Thanks for sharing, Doc."_

"_Anything I can do to help, Kate."_

Doppler had some pretty good ideas on where the treasure could be located, that was for sure. Kate wished that she had spent just as much time as he did on figuring out the whereabouts of her misfortune. Maybe if she started thinking about it now and tried to go off on Doppler's ideas she could get somewhere. One thing was definite in her mind though. She thought it was way too easy for Kate's locket to be like Jim's sphere, showing a direct line to the treasure. There has to be a catch to her locket…

"Time to go," Jim said in a whisper as he stood up dragging Kate with him. They kept close to each other as they stealthily crept around the ship toward the brig. Kate wasn't sure if it was being close to Jim that was making her stomach tie up in knots or just the thought of finally facing Malcolm. She hoped the latter.

Thankfully they weren't caught and Jim reached in his pocket and pulled out the keys. He put the key in the keyhole but then hesitated and turned around to Kate. "Remember to listen to me," he told her quietly. Kate nodded and Jim searched her face for a moment before turning the key.

Kate cringed as the door squealed open and Jim quickly pulled her in so he could slam it shut. The brig was insanely cold and the air seemed different – less clean. There were two large prison cells but only one prisoner was chained up against the back wall. Jim shook the railings making a loud clash of metal sounds.

"Wake up shithead!" He demanded and Malcolm startled awake. Dark eyes glared at the pair as he shifted himself close as possible to them. Once he got close enough Kate could see the dark circles around his eyes, his sullen face framed by his dark oily, raggedy hair, and the indifference on his face as he studied Jim.

However the look on his face changed to something else when he finally laid his eyes on Kate. A full-fledged smirk grew on his pale face. "Looks like I'm not the only one not eatin' much," he snarled. "Scared are yeh?"

"Shut up!" Jim commanded but Malcolm ignored this.

Kate said nothing just stared fearlessly into Malcolm's features. "Well ye should be, I reckon. I would be," he smiled sadistically showing off his sharp teeth. Kate's hand started to shake but she clenched it into a fist hiding it before she could react any further to Malcolm's comment, Jim had already grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him up against the bars.

"What exactly should she be scared of?" Jim growled at him and Kate almost took a step back at the fierceness of his voice. Malcolm barely took a glance at Jim before turning his glare back to Kate.

"He'll never stop ya know," he stated cryptically, "even if you get to that treasure. He'll never stop hunting you. Don't matter who's protecting you." Malcolm then turned to face Jim. "You won't be able to protect her. You'll just end up dead."

Something snapped inside Kate then. Threats directed toward herself she could deal with. Threats directed toward others that she cared about was a different story. She pushed Jim out of the way and grabbed Malcolm who was just about to fall due to his hands being chained together behind his back.

"I want a name," she spat at him as she threatened to choke him due to the hold she had with her hands around his neck.

He chuckled at her. "Do ya think I'm scared of you? Oh no, dearie he'll find you and I better keep my mouth shut so I won't be telling ya."

Kate tightened her grip on his neck very tempted to take care of this scumbag here and now. If he wasn't ever going to say anything then why keep him around? Just wait for him to get out and hurt somebody else? He wasn't worth the space.

"Kate," Jim said in a warning. She had nearly forgotten that he was still here.

"What?" She asked impatient. Kate felt him put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll never get anything out of him if you do that," he stated as he squeezed her shoulder in comfort. Kate sucked in a big gulp of air before loosening her grip and shoving Malcolm towards the metal wall opposite of them.

"We won't get anything out of him anyways," she stated in a whisper, "he won't talk." Then she sulked out of the brig as Jim just stood there watching her leave listening to the scattered intake of breath coming from Malcolm.

"She's…right," he struggled to speak. "I'm a…hell more lot scared….of my boss…then I am of y'all."

"If you ever come near her again," Jim spoke in a low voice, "you'll have another person to be scared of." He slammed the brig door shut and went straight to find Kate.

Kate had always found peace looking at the stars in the crow's nest but considering most of the watch was on deck she went with the second best option. Lying in the longboats she had always found some sort of comfort there too. Plus she would be alone which was an added bonus.

The longboat gave a loud creek as she settled herself on its side trying to even out her breathing. What Malcolm told her had confirmed her worse fears. Whoever was behind the mutiny won't stop until he had her which confused the hell out of her. What was so special about her? Besides the treasure, that is.

Taking in a deep sigh she closed her eyes trying to erase these thoughts from her mind. It helped to know that everybody outside this boat thought she was dead. And that Malcolm was safely locked up. He can't do much behind those bars.

"Don't listen to him," Jim's voice sounded from behind her. Kate jumped a bit not expecting him to have found her so fast. "He's just trying to scare you and by the looks of it, he accomplished that."

"Yeah, you're not helping," Kate commented getting out of the longboat, "so you can leave." She pointed toward the exit waiting for him to leave but he didn't.

"Kate," he sighed walking towards her, "he's lying. Please don't let him get to you."

"Lying or not, he just confirmed my worse fear, so forgive me if it takes me some time to try to get over it." Kate confessed in a rush which made Jim's eyes widen.

"How long have you feared this?" He asked curious.

She shrugged. "Don't like being chased across the Etherium. I would hate it if this was my fate for the rest of my life until whoever is behind this finds me. And to think this person isn't after the treasure…just me."

"That may not be true, Kate," Jim tried to console her but she only shook her head at him.

"We'll be finding out soon enough," she said sadly, "we're nearly there."

"We won't let him near you anyways," Jim told her.

Kate just smiled at him. "That's sweet Jim, but you may not have a choice."

He narrowed his blue eyes at her as he frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Exactly that," she said simply, "if this guy is only after me then I'll just go to him."

Jim took another step closer to her so that he towered over Kate. "You're willing to waste everybody's efforts here to protect you by going straight to the guy that planned this mutiny. Are you crazy?"

"I'm tired Jim," she said loudly, "tired of running, being chased, threatened..," she trailed off in thought and then looked up at Jim as she place a lock of her dark auburn hair behind her ear, "what I said that night before 'I killed myself.'" She told him as she placed air quotes around her last couple of words.

"Yeah," Jim said not knowing where she was going with this.

"They weren't completely untrue," she admitted slowly and noticing the sudden stiff posture of Jim she elaborated, "Nothing that I would kill myself over but..,"

He cut her off. "But something you would risk death for." Kate stared off into the distance for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I suppose I would," she said solemnly.

Jim cautiously place his hands her shoulders taking another step closer towards her. "Are you saying that you have nothing else to live for besides finding this treasure?" He asked her softly deeply staring into her eyes.

Kate was taken a back at this question. She had never thought of it that way before. But really, what did she have to live for if her freedom was always in jeopardy? Kate supposed if she still had a family she would never consider turning herself over to this guy. Not if somebody needed her. Zoë had Edmund. Silver could take care of himself easily. And Jim…

She met his glaze and bit her lip unsure what to say in response. Luckily Jim already had response in mind just not one Kate expected. She gasped loudly as he pulled her close so that his mouth was right by her ear.

"Nobody to live for?" He questioned in a whisper which sent shivers down her entire body. Unable to respond Jim pulled back slightly to face her but she was still speechless. He quickly searched her features for any sign of fear or rejection. Not finding any Jim snaked his hand to around the back of her head pulling her even closer with no difficulty. Then he fiercely pressed his lips against hers hoping to change her mind.

* * *

**A/N: Ahhhhhhhhh! Cliffhanger? Yes. Do you like it? I would hope so. Again sorry about the wait but I think this chapter made up for it, I hope. It's the longest chapter I have ever written! Woohoo! Thanks for all of the amazing reviews. I am so grateful for them, please keep 'em coming. **

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I know I said an update once a month but life got in the way….sorry.**

**I really want reviews on this chapter. PLEASE let me know what you liked, loved, or (hopefully not) disliked. I love reviews!**

**Responses to Reviews:**

**Lenixxx: Hey! I'm back…again. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Aw thanks so much!**

**OMGitsEMILY: No worries. I think Zoë is better now…I know you didn't see much of her in this chapter but the focus wasn't really on her. Thank you so much again! I can't wait to read your review!**

**Randomwriter118: I'm so glad that they never disappoint. Thanks for commenting on my plot, I'm so happy you're noticing it. Thank you!**

**Chasingtheday: I'm glad you think so. Thank you so much! :D**

**Amalimrock: Thank you so much for your long responses. They really help me out. Yeah, Captain Amelia is really hard to write for when you don't usually hear British accents all the time, so I'm sorry about that. Hopefully it will get better. Hey! Look! There's Doppler – I hope you enjoyed that little bit. **

**Press. That. Button. :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Twenty One:**

Kate was dumbstruck.

One minute she was arguing with the infuriating James Pleiades Hawkins the next he was attacking her with his lips. Albeit rather gently and it felt nice…no, correction it felt incredible. A fire had erupted somewhere in the lower regions of her stomach and was quickly spreading throughout her entire body. And half of her mind was shouting for her to push him away and the other half was screaming for her to reciprocate the kiss. Unable to make out the voices in her mind she simply just stood there letting Jim do as he pleased.

Jim was frustrated.

He wasn't getting any response from Kate as he proceeded to kiss her. Jim had assumed that his assault on her lips would have illicit some reaction from the dark eyed girl. But no, she just stood there unmoving which not only infuriated Jim but also made him worry that she did not want this. Fueled by his anger at her stillness he deepened the kiss which earned him a small gasp of surprise from Kate. Suppressing a grin he tilted her head slightly and with his other hand pulled her close enough to come in contact with his body.

Kate had to stop a moan as Jim kicked up his at first gentle kiss to something more demanding. Jim's other arm had found itself on the small part of her lower back as her arms were still at a limp by her sides. She knew why he was doing this. Jim was trying to prove his point that she had to keep herself alive no matter what the cost was. He wanted her to live. To survive. To fight.

The hand that Jim was using to tilt her head was a gentle pressure and he had started to caress her face with his thumb as his lips moved expertly on hers. And Kate wondered for a fleeting second how many girls he had kissed before her because he certainly had the experience. Then his tongue met hers and only one thought was present in her mind:

_Ah why the hell not?_

Kate eagerly met his challenge which had Jim taken aback for a small moment. She had moved her arms around his neck and started to fight for dominance in the kiss. It was Jim's turn to suppress a moan that was beginning to build up in his throat and he wound his hand in her dark auburn locks to distract himself.

"Ahem," a loud fake cough interrupted Jim and Kate, and they sprang apart as if repelled. They both turned towards the entrance and found Edmund leaning casually against the doorway wearing an annoying, knowing smirk. Kate gaped at the blonde and looked at Jim who had recollected his cool, nonchalant look.

"Yes Ed?" He asked his friend casually but Kate could hear the slightly angry tone in his voice. Eddie had the decency to look a little guilty before responding to Jim.

"Sorry to uh, interrupt," he smirked again toward Kate who was busy looking very interested in a longboat's sails. "But Jim you need to see something," Eddie's voice quickly turned to a tone of seriousness which made Kate snap her head back up at him in curiosity.

Jim narrowed his eyes at Eddie in thought about what could possibly be so important; thinking it was probably best to go with his friend Jim tried to catch Kate's attention but she adamantly avoiding him.

"Fine," he agreed giving up on trying to send a silent message to the stubborn girl. Letting lose a deep sigh he walked out with Eddie who was grinning broadly from ear to ear.

"Well," Eddie wiggled his eyebrows at Jim who playfully shoved him, "that just made my night more interesting. How did _that_ happen?"

Jim shrugged not really having an answer for Eddie who gave him a disbelieving look. "Do me a favor Eddie."

"What?" He asked still not pleased with Jim not answering his question.

"Don't tell anyone what you saw." At this demand Eddie pouted.

"But that's all part of the fun," he exclaimed in a whine.

Jim gave him a stern look. "I'm serious Eddie, what you saw..,"

"Yeah, yeah it wasn't the first time," Eddie finished what he thought was the truth but Jim shook his head.

"No, that's the thing, it was the first time and if you go around telling everybody it might scare Kate away," Jim confessed.

Eddie's eyes widened. "Wow, okay mate I won't say a thing," he promised. They walked in silence for a few moments before Jim got curious.

"So what is so damn important that you had to interrupt?" Jim asked casually but still frustrated that he had left Kate like that after he kissed her.

Eddie ran has hands through his hair looking guilty. "Sorry about that, but I wouldn't have interrupted if it wasn't important. And Jim," Ed stopped walking and looked at Jim with a grim expression on his face, "what I found it's so bad that the only person I thought to go to who I thought was trustworthy enough and could actually do something about this is you."

Jim furrowed his brows. "You couldn't have gone to the Captain or Silver?" Jim whispered back.

"I know you trust them Jim, but I've known Captains with ulterior motives," Eddie confessed in a hush whisper, "and Silver…," Eddie seemed reluctant to admit it but Jim knew.

"He's not a pirate anymore," Jim said acidly defending the only father figure he had ever known.

"I know he was pardoned of all charges Jim, but that doesn't mean you stop being what cha been for most of your life," Eddie said confidently. "But who knows? I may be wrong, but I don't want to take that chance, so come on."

Jim groaned dreading the severity of what Eddie had found if it had him questioning the Captain and Silver. They entered the same small communications room that Jim had been in only the day before and Jim leaned against the wall as Eddie locked the door making sure they weren't overheard.

"I was thinking since we are getting real close to the treasure any day now that it may not be a bad idea to make sure we were alone out here," Eddie recalled as he turned a small circular machine looking thoughtful.

"Smart," Jim commented gruffly.

"Thanks," Ed said after a long pause. "So I found this sonar machine and turned it on for a while." He took another long pause as the machine buzzed as it worked. Eddie eyed the machine for a couple minutes then motioned Jim to come over and look.

"We're being followed," Eddie said grimly and Jim narrowed his eyes at him.

"For how long now?" He asked immediately.

Eddie shook his head. "There is no way to know." He pointed to the small lighted blimp on the sonar screen that circling around the edges of the sonar map. "You see that?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah, whoever is following us is staying way out of sight."

"Which made me think at first that they weren't actually following us; just going on their own way," Eddie thought out.

"I hear a 'but'," Jim stated angry that somebody else was after them.

"But," Eddie continued, "they've been heading in our same direction for way too long for it to be a coincidence."

"Why would somebody be following us when Kate is believed to be dead?" Jim questioned out loud.

"Either they believe we know something about the treasure even with Kate dead or..," Eddie trailed off.

"We have another traitor," Jim finished as he slammed his fist against the wall.

* * *

Jim Hawkins took his time as he walked back to the engine room after his meeting with Eddie. He had convinced him to go talk to Captain Amelia about what he had found. Jim had understood his fears of not trusting neither Captain Amelia nor Silver but he still found the idea ridiculous. Silver was Kate's godfather. He had been protecting her for years. Jim could even see Kate giving Silver some of the treasure for all that he has risked for her safety. So what gain would Silver have in betraying Kate?

And Captain Amelia as a traitor…that was even a more ridiculous notion that Jim could never see happening. He could never picture those two mentors of his ever betraying them. Jim thought it more likely that it was somebody else whom he had not known for very long amount of time was behind this. Somebody they trusted…but he could not figure out whom.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he did not notice Kate until it was too late. She jumped on him as soon as he walked through the door and started to hit him hard anywhere she could reach.

"What the..?" Jim exclaimed in shock.

"James Pleiades Hawkins," Kate started with a punch, "you intolerable, arrogant, stupid, stupid, man!" Then she ended with a series of hits in which Jim struggled to grab her fists.

"Hey! Whoa…Kate," he ducked as he nearly escaped one of her swings toward his face. "Those actually hurt!"

"Good!" She shouted back at him. "I cannot believe you did that!"

"What?" Jim exclaimed as Kate finally stopped hitting him looking at him breathlessly. "Do mean the kiss?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course I meant the kiss, you fool. Why would you do that to me?"

"You weren't so keen on objecting to it earlier," Jim told her astounded at her accusing tone, "hell, Kate, you kissed me back!"

"Due to a lack of judgment and oxygen," she said in a scoff and Jim could see a tint of pink creeping on her cheeks. Kate was very interested in the floor suddenly and Jim raised his eyebrows.

"Right," he said in an unconvinced tone and then he took on a serious tone. "Kate I don't just go around kissing girls and if I had a hint from you that you did not want that, then I would have stopped."

"I was surprised," she explained in a rush, "I didn't think you would ever-," Kate cut herself off and leaned her back against the wall.

"Ever what?" Jim questioned. "Kiss you?"

Kate nodded silently. "I mean I could tell you liked me," at this statement Jim flushed, "and I like you too Jim; at least I'm pretty sure I do." She bit her lip and Jim stared at her with embarrassment gone. "If I didn't like you I probably wouldn't have kissed you back."

Jim gave her a pointed look. "But hitting me afterwards..,"

"…was fun." Kate finished for him smiling for a second. "But I never thought you would attempt to act on your feelings. I wasn't planning on it and I just-"

Kate was prevented from talking any further when Jim took two long strides toward her and captured her lips with his. He cupped the back of her head to stop it from colliding with the wall and placed his other hand firmly on her waist keeping her close. It didn't take too long this time for Kate to respond to the kiss and she had her hands bundled up in Jim's shirt.

She mumbled something into Jim's mouth and he chuckled as he broke the kiss. He looked at her curiously. "What was that pumpkin?"

Kate grimaced at Jim's choice word for endearment and rewarded him by stepping on his foot again. "Please…," she started breathlessly, "stop doing that…I-I can't…"

"Can't what?" Jim was irritated at Kate's indecisions and her preference of stomping on his left foot.

"This," Kate pointed back and forth between the pair of them, "us. It can't happen."

Jim stared at her in utter disbelief. "Why?" He asked in a whine and Kate gave him a stern look but then it softened.

"Don't be childish Hawkins," she commented.

Jim ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't understand Kate. If you don't like me then just say so-,"

"No!" She told him fiercely. "I can't…no I won't let myself care for you any more than I already do. It will make losing you so much harder. And I don't think I can handle losing anybody else that I care about." Kate walked away from him so she didn't have to see his face.

Jim could have slapped himself. Of course, Kate wouldn't want anything that he was hoping for; according to her everybody she has ever cared for has died or been killed. He knew she counted herself extremely lucky to still have Silver. Her parents were both gone. Those kids on Persephone were burned alive. Anybody who has helped Silver and Kate out in their attempt on not being caught somehow ended up dead.

"Kate..," he sighed warily as he turned to face her.

"No Jim," she told him fiercely, "don't tell me you're not going to die and don't promise it either, I'm not that foolish." Kate made a dash toward her room but Jim grabbed her wrist and gently guided her toward him.

"That was _not_ what I was going to say," he said softly. "Don't let _that _or whoever is hunting you down stop you from what you want, ever." Kate bit her lip thinking over what he said as Jim kissed the top of her head and wished her a good night.

They both went to bed that night; both liking where tonight ended up but Kate was still uncertain and too stubborn to let herself get hurt again. Jim realized that he was going to have to give Kate some space until she figured out what she really wanted. _Maybe when all this is over, we'll have a shot, _Jim thought hopefully as he drifted off into pleasant dreams.

In the galley, however, Zoë was still awake scrubbing pots and pans while desperately trying to keep her eyelids open. Edmund had come to galley hours earlier seeking out Silver while giving her a quick goodnight kiss on the cheek. She could tell something was bothering him but didn't have the time to ask him anything about it. As soon as Silver could excuse himself away from the galley Edmund was gone too. Apparently Eddie needed to talk to Silver privately. Whatever it was though, it was bugging Edmund.

Zoë sighed tiredly as she finished her last huge pot and got up to stretch before she crashed into bed. She stepped into her small bedroom, only having the patience to kick off her boots before diving into the soft, warm bed. But something had caught her eye so Zoë suddenly sat up and looked out her porthole thinking that whatever she saw was out there. Zoë didn't see anything at first and was about to try to sleep again but then she heard something. A light, scrapping sound coming from the bottom of the ship.

She shrugged it off as nothing, knowing that Eddie was on watch tonight and would immediately know if anything was not right. Putting her trust in the blonde Zoë fell asleep with a smile.

* * *

Malcolm was not happy. Not only was he uncomfortable on a metal floor with nothing he could use for warmth but he was hurting. Kate and Jim's beating had bruised him to the point where his body ached. Malcolm scowled thinking about that girl. He could not wait to get his hands on her again.

He was getting impatient.

But then he heard the slight, scrapping sound coming from beneath him.

And Malcolm smiled.

* * *

The red-headed dwarf smirked as he moved across the ship with purpose. They were so incredibly lucky to get on board _Serenity_ without being seen and his skills in stealth earned him the duty of fetching that idiot Malcolm and then the girl. He reached the brig with no difficulty and opened it up to find Malcolm waiting for him.

"It's about damn time," he grumbled.

"Yer lucky we got ya at all but we need yer strength ta get deh girl outta here," the dwarf replied back grimly as he opened the cell Malcolm was in.

"I'm gonna need one o'yer daggers, Bentley," he told him in a dark tone.

"O'course ya do," Bentley reached into his jacket and handed Malcolm his sharpest weapon. "We can't hurt her," he told Malcolm seriously and at his raised brow Bentley added, "yet."

"She killed yer friend, Heath, and ya don't want ta take yer vengeance?" Malcolm questioned solemnly.

Bentley narrowed his eyes. "No question about that," he told Malcolm in a growl, "but cap'n would prefer deh girl in one piece when we bring her to him an' 'sides tha' it'll be easier ta take her if she ain't tha' much in pain."

"Fine," Malcolm reluctantly agreed. The pirates slinked out of the brig and silently reached the engine room. Right before they got to Kate's bedroom Bentley turned to Malcolm:

"You can keep her silent an' still, right?" Bentley sounded unsure.

"Easily," Malcolm assured the dwarf in a rough voice.

They opened the door to find Kate asleep and they both grinned.

* * *

It was Sebes' turn to take over watch and he was not happy. He hated the shift he got stuck with. The one right in the middle of the night…in the middle of his sleeping time. He groaned as he made his way up the crow's next to tell Eddie to go to bed….but the blonde was not there.

He hurriedly looked around the ship for any sign of him but could not find Eddie anywhere. Then, Alayne appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She walked purposefully across the deck of _Serenity_ toward a dark shadow lying towards the starboard side of the vessel. Alayne crunched down next to shadow and it struck Sebes that the shadow must be Edmund.

Sebes did a quick scan of the ship and its surroundings; and then he heard it. The sound of a longboat engine off the port side. He looked over quickly and found, a longboat not of _Serenity_'s, driving off farther and farther into the darkness of space. Sebes squinted to get a closer look and he could faintly make out the pirates that attacked them a month ago holding a captive. Kate Kayser was sitting gagged and cuffed by their former prisoner, Malcolm.

Sebes let out a loud curse and then proceeded to ring the warning bells. Everybody on board Serenity scurried on deck as fast as they could get out of the bed. Silver came out fully alert his pistol already charging ready to fire, if the need came. Captain Amelia came on deck next quickly scanning the ship for alarm, finding seemingly nothing except for Eddie lying on the deck unconscious.

"What is the meaning of this?" She questioned looking up toward Sebes who was quickly climbing down from the crow's nest. He handed her a telescope, with no explanation, and pointed toward the general direction of where he last saw the longboat heading toward.

She gasped and pressed her lips into a thin line when she saw what Sebes rang the bells for. Tossing the telescope to her first mate she said, "Follow that longboat. Now."

Mr. Copper nodded and without any explanation of the Captain's reasoning behind it, he did what was asked of him. Amelia than turned toward Jim who was standing in shock, his hair still ruffled from sleep, and a look of agony on his face. Silver looked at him too, and at the moment, the cyborg knew Jim was already blaming himself for Kate's absence.

"When was the last time you saw Kate, Hawkins?" Amelia asked with no patience for pity or blame. She needed to get a timeline.

"Ju-just before first watch started," Jim barely got out before rushing toward where Eddie and Alayne were on the starboard side.

Captain Amelia nodded at this and then turned towards Alayne. "What happened to Mr. Downey?"

"He wasn't attacked," she responded in a monotone, "I believe that he fell and hit his head on the side of the ship. He's been unconscious for a while, but I healed his head wound the best I could." Amelia looked at the unconscious boy under less scrutiny than before, but still thought of him as reckless.

Zoë was holding Edmund's head in her lap, quietly running her fingers through his blonde locks. Her eyes met Amelia's and then she stated in a sad voice, "You believe Kate's gone because of Eddie."

"I do not know what to believe yet," she responded dryly.

Jim had his back facing the others as he glared at the pirate ship he knew was in that general direction. Silver placed his non-cyborg on Jim's shoulder, comfortingly, and told him, "It will not help Katie if yeh start blamin' yerself, lad."

Jim shook his head at this. "I should have told her."

"Told her w'at?"

"About the damn pirate ship that has been heading our way for past couple of days!" Jim said loudly but then swallowed and said in a quieter voice, "Maybe then she would have been better prepared."

"Per'aps," Silver allowed. "But t'is is not yer fault. Ya hear me boy! Instead o' puttin' deh fault on yer shoulders try ta focus on helping us gettin' Katie back, eh?"

"And how exactly do ye plan on tha' happening, eh?" Questioned Andreas who had been listening in on their conversation. "As far as I see it," he told everybody in his booming voice, "deh only choice we have is ta follow them to t'at planet. From there…uh we'll weigh our options."

"'Weigh our options?'" Silver repeated his cybrog eye turning red as he turned toward the sheepish looking dwarf. "Kate's been kidnapped by bloodthirsty pirates an' yeh want us ta be weighin' our options on whet'er o' not ta go an' get 'er?"

At the end of Silver's rant Andreas seemed to have gained some more confidence. "I'm just sayin' that we need a plan before we do anything and ta not be too rash!"

"Andreas isn't wrong, Silver." Amelia said in her commanding voice. "We cannot act rashly. We are going to have to wait for the right timing." Silver's fury slowly ebbed away to the point to where his cybrog eye stayed a mild yellow.

"Then what are we going to do?" Doppler asked warily.

"For now," Amelia said in her calm commanding tone still, "we wait."

Jim sharply turned his head at this. "So we do nothing?"

"Of course not," Amelia said crossly, "we observe and wait for an opportune moment."

She turned to face them all.

"Then we strike."

* * *

**A/N: HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAYS my loyal readers. I wish you all a happy new year. My next update should happen sometime next month. I have already started to write it so it's like 25% finished hah. However next semester…holy cow I'm SO b****usy, if you don't hear from me in a couple months after the next chapter….I may be dead. Nah, I'm just kidding I'll be alive…barely.**

**Oh yeah! Before I forget OMGitsEMILY and myself have created a combined account on fanfiction to write together on. It's mostly all going to be TP stories so check it out!**

**Dear Reviewers,**

**Your comments make me smile. :D Please don't stop reviewing. You have no idea how much they mean to me. I would love to give y'all something in return because you and your comments mean so much! So here is a happy holiday gift…a new chapter! YAY! I hoped you enjoyed it.**

**Responses to Reviews:**

**Mikhaila Stillman: Yeah, I'm in love with cliffhangers, I admit it. Thank you for all of your compliments especially that one about my story being one of the best in the genre…OMG that is crazy-freaking-ness!**

**Karin Matthews: Oh wow thanks for devoting time to read my story. I'm glad you read it all! I hope you are not too disappointed with the status of the Jim/Kate relationship at the end of this chapter.**

**Randomwriter118: OMG. First of all thanks for all the compliments…secondly I would love to know your theories! PM me or something…or if you don't want to tell me that's fine too. :D**

**amalimrock: Yep, they kissed lol. And I had no idea I updated in time for TP's anniversary, thanks for telling me. Please keep reviewing!**

**Lenixxx: Glad to be back. I'm so happy you enjoy my chapters so much. Thank you!**

**OMGitsEMILY: I'm glad you liked that comic relief there cause some shit is about to go down. Yeah yeah yeah they finally kissed but things are never that easy. Thank you so much!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

Kate grimaced in pain as the pirate directing the longboat made a sharp turn pushing her body more against the knife Malcolm held threateningly at her lower back. She was positive that the sharp turn caused, yet another, cut from Malcolm's knife. He didn't seem to care whether or not he was slicing her without a need to do so.

Bentley saw her face grimace. "Not so brave now. Are ye lass?" He chuckled darkly and Kate shot him glare wishing that Jim or herself would have gotten rid of that dwarf a long time ago.

Then Kate looked up at the massive ship heading towards them quickly. She furrowed her brows and looked back toward _Serenity_ seeing how close the distance was between the two ships. It didn't make any sense to her. Why the pirates would chose to get closer to _Serenity_? Kate did not know. Were they now going to attack? A sense of dread and panic shook Kate to her core.

"I guess the Captain was serious when he said we would be heading straight toward Odysseus. No matter how dangerous the path to it may be," the pirate steering the longboat commented as the ship approached them.

_Ah_, Kate thought, _they are trying to beat the others to the planet…wait! How did they know which planet?_

"Smart," Malcolm admitted. "They won't fire on us since we hav' deh girlie here." He nudged Kate with the tip of his knife making her gasp which was muffled by the handkerchief they had used to gag her.

"Captain's gonna wanna talk ta her," Bentley grumbled.

"O'course he is," Malcolm snapped.

Bentley rolled his eyes. "Tha' means that handkerchief ya got there is gonna hav' ta go, Mal."

"Oh right," he said as realization hit him, "guess there's no point anyways. They already saw us take 'er." Malcolm chuckled as he removed the cloth from Kate's mouth. She immediately took a long, deep breath of air as she licked her dry lips.

"You boys," she was able to rasp out, "really are putting a lot hope into some treasure that may or may not exist." Kate shook her head at them as if disappointed.

"You saying this as if there is no treasure," the pirate steering shouted.

"Nah," Malcolm told him poking Kate, yet again, with his large knife, "she's just tryin' ta trick us."

Kate shook her head again and gulped. "No. Not this time. I was just saying that _I _don't even know if there is a treasure or not. You boys must know more than I do about it or you really are that foolish."

"Shut up," snapped Bentley. "Don't listen ta a word she says and if she continues yappin' tha' handkerchief will be back on ya so fast…."

Bentley trailed off as they approached the pirate ship.

* * *

Jim stared determinedly at the hardwood floor in Amelia's stateroom attempting to not to make eye contact with anybody. Feelings from his first voyage were slowly beginning to resurface. The guilt and the feeling of free falling for infinity without the hope of stopping. Those feelings felt familiar to him because of all his years as a youth with those feelings constantly nagging at him and when Mr. Arrow had died during the supernova; those feelings were at their strongest.

And now Kate had been kidnapped and the pang of guilt kept his body tensed. _If only, _he thought to himself, _I would have warned her._ As if sensing that Jim was blaming himself at that exact moment Silver placed his non-cyborg hand on his shoulder. Amelia was in the middle of her stateroom pacing repeatedly back and forth as Doppler looked just as tense as Jim watching her pace.

Mr. Cooper was on deck instructing the remaining crew on following the pirate ship that was heading towards Odysseus. Zoë was looking after Eddie who was still unconscious and who Amelia was becoming increasingly suspicious of.

Doppler coughed. "Any ideas, anyone?" He squeaked out in the silence looking slightly hopeful.

There was a small pause in Amelia's pacing but she continued on more determined than ever to keep pacing around the large stateroom. Jim shifted his gaze to some portrait on the wall ignoring that Doppler ever asked that question.

Only Silver had the voice to reply an answer to it: "No Doc, we have ta wait it out."

Jim snapped his head toward Silver at his response. "For what?" He asked irritated at that same answer.

Amelia suddenly ceased in her pacing and faced Jim. "I know you are frustrated James and we all are. But you have to realize the situation here."

"The situation being…?" He questioned with a wave of his hand.

"Sensitive," Amelia answered promptly.

"Dangerous," Silver responded in a deep tone.

"We have to realize that they," Amelia pointed out the porthole toward the pirate ship, "have the advantage here. Obviously we have another traitor and those pirates also have Kate. We cannot do anything foolish, so we must wait for the right moment."

"Exactly, they have Kate. Shouldn't we be doing something, oh, I don't know…now?" Jim stressed.

"We ta make sure she is safe, Jim. I know yer concerned fer her, we all are, but ya hav' ta know tha' they won't kill 'er," Silver explained.

"But they'll hurt her." Jim stated not looking for an answer because he already knew it to be true. Everybody in the room quickly shifted their gaze and silence ensued for a long moment.

"She can handle it," Silver stated firmly.

* * *

Once aboard their ship Kate started taking detailed notes; trying to put a map in her head of her whereabouts so if she had a chance of escape she would be able to use it to its full advantage. The red-headed dwarf nudged her right side not so gently guiding her toward the Captain's cabin. Malcolm took command of her left as he dragged her forearm toward the cabin and opened it. There stood the rare alien pirate Captain himself. His four beady black eyes stared at the three of them expectantly and Malcolm let out a cough.

"Ah the Miss Katharine Kasyer, Capn't," the dwarf let out in a squeak and Kate had to swallow a laugh at how tiny his voice had sounded then.

"I know who she is, Bentley," the Captain bellowed at him and the dwarf shrank back. "I can take it from here, boys." Kate raised a brow at this. He wanted to be alone in the room with her. Why?

"Bu-but sir," Malcolm stuttered.

"I think I can handle a girl on my own," he gave Malcolm a pointed look, "however if this is about you earnin' yer praise fer a job well done, ya can forget it." The pirate Captain finished with a snarl.

Forgetting their prisoner both the dwarf and the giant released Kate to take an automatic step back while she stood her ground. It wasn't like she was the one getting berated. The Captain crossed his arms at the current members of his crew in his cabin.

"Get out and do yer damn jobs," he commanded in a stern tone which resulted in the pair scampering out of the cabin in a rush. He shook his head as if bewildered by his own crew's idiocy and then remembered Kate's presence and started to stare at the girl.

Uncomfortable under his glare Kate started to shift her sight in order to avoid eye contact. She did not understand why he was so intent on staring at her. He knew who she was so why wasn't he questioning her? Kate soon grew tired of the silence that occupied his cabin.

"You certainly keep a tight leash around here," she commented boldly gesturing toward the door where his crew just escaped. He just kept staring at her using his desk as support as he leaned against it casually. Suddenly he walked towards her grabbing the handcuffs that were placed around her wrists. Pulling a large set of keys out of one of his pockets he unlocked the cuffs and threw them on the desk.

"Wh-what?" Kate exclaimed completely floored. She rubbed her sore wrists trying to gain feeling back into them that wasn't pain.

"You looked uncomfortable. I don't like guests on board my ship to be tha'," he said in a drawl as he searched through one of his desk's drawers.

"Uncomfortable?" Kate questioned. "If you didn't want me to be uncomfortable then don't threaten my friends. Hell, if you didn't want me to be uncomfortable why forcibly bring me to your ship? And I am no guest but a prisoner. So if you would please," Kate finished by bringing her hands together gesturing toward the cuffs on the desk. "Put those back on me."

"You certainly have yer father's spirit," he chuckled as he tossed something at her. Kate swiftly caught the object still staring at the pirate open mouthed.

"My fa-father…, what do you know of him?" She asked in shocked and then glanced down at the object she had caught and Kate found she could not stop looking at it. It was a picture taken of two very young males, arms clasping around each other's shoulders, and they both were smiling widely. Kate had seen pictures of her father as a youth before and she instantly recognized him as one of the men. The other male in the picture had to be…

"It's you," she said softly and then looked up at him. "You knew my father."

He nodded looking pensive. "Very well. We were friends growing up as kids."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "How come my father never mentioned you?"

"We had a fallin' out after we both reached the age of captaincy. We were never quite as close ever again but I believe we each had an understandin' tha' we would always respect one another an' ta stay out of each other's way when it came to piracy." He sighed deeply. "I never met yer mother." The pirate let out a laugh then said, "I never thought yer pap would ever fall to deh likes of love, let alone have a daughter.

"So when rumors of his daughter makin' her way throughout the 'verse came ta me, I thought it all false. Nonsense really tha' Noah was dead an' his daughter was being chased. But then I was apprehended by a man who wanted ta find ya. He told me he would do whatever it took ta capture yeh even if it meant dealin' wit criminals like meself. I was reluctant to take deh offer 'cause of my past friendship with yer father and deh man sensed tha'. Threatened me, he did ta find ya an' bring yeh to him.

"Ya see, Kate, he don't want deh treasure. Just you. Which I have ta admit, made me curious enough ta find yeh an' here we are. Tha's why I was starin' at cha tryin' ta find yer pap in yer looks an' there's a hint of him there. But it was yer comment that convinced me. Yeh really are Noah Kasyer's child."

It took a few minutes for Kate to collect herself after that confession. To her it seemed like a believable story but for she knew it was all just a creative lie. Kate looked down at the picture again to look for signs of fabrication and could not find any.

"So are you going to turn me in now?" She asked in a small voice.

Shock crossed over the pirate's features. "Of course not," he bellowed.

"Then what are you going to do with me? You took off the cuffs. You obviously don't see me as a threat assuming I did not believe your story," Kate told him.

"Ah, so you do believe me?" He questioned hopeful.

Kate's face turned neutral. "I'm not certain whether I believe you or not. What are you going to do with me?" She questioned him again because after all his actions will prove his trustworthiness over his words or any picture.

"My men will take ya to deh brig," he started to explain.

"And that is suppose to help me believe you," she said incredulously.

"No," he cut her off and then tossed her another object and Kate caught it easily, "tha' is."

Kate slowly opened her hand to revel a silver key shining at her. "I'm sure yeh can figure out w'at ta do from there," he smirked at her thoughtful expression as she tucked the key inside her shirt.

"Who was this man? Malcolm spoke of him too," she asked hopeful the pirate knew something more.

He nodded. "Yes, Malcolm has told me tha' he had threatened him as well. I do not know who dis man is; he was hidden well in deh shadows when he confronted me. Yeh need ta be careful. Not many will risks their necks ta spare yours," he warned her.

"Why are you willing to risk yours?" Kate asked too curious to hold the question in any longer.

"Who says I'm riskin' it?" He asked her with a slight grin. "The threat was jus' ta hand ya over ta him if I was able to capture yeh, however if ya allude my attempts o' capture, tha' fool can't blame me can he?" He finished with a wink and she smiled at him.

"What's your name?" Kate wondered out loud. "I mean everybody either calls you 'Captain' or 'sir'. What did my father call you?"

"Your father called me Luther an' deh crew does call me tha' at times but I prefer Captain an' they know tha'."

"Thank you," she said extremely grateful.

"Don't thank me yet Kayser," he told her. "Yer not outta dis yet. I'll do w'at I can ta help ya for deh sake o' tha's what yer pap would hav' wanted but me crew will do w'at they want. Yer ship is not tha' far behind us, if I were ya I would wait till we got close to deh planet an' escape ta the longboats witout being seen. Ya got that, Kate?"

She nodded and held out her hands. "If you're going to take me to the brig, convincingly that is, I'm going to need those back on."

"True," he muttered and then he cuffed Kate loosely.

Kate looked up at Luther curiously. "Wait. How do you know everything?" He narrowed his eyes at her and she explained better. "How did you know where _Serenity_ was? Or which planet we were heading to?"

Luther sighed. "That man is always in contact wit somebody on me crew. Dunno how he does it but he just knows, kid. Yeh may have another traitor on tha' boat."

"Not your man?" Kate asked double checking.

"Nah," Luther confirmed, "yeh got rid o' mine when ya faked yer death." He studied her for a moment before adding, "tha' was pretty smart thinkin' there."

"Uh, thanks," she replied never thinking she would have heard that from the pirate captain's mouth.

Luther eyed her thoughtfully. "Yeh know, I'm also lookin' fer new crew members."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Are you offering me a job? As a pirate on your crew?" She asked incredulously.

"Don't sound so offended. We are not all monsters. Yeh have it in yer blood an' yer pretty talented…you'll be great." Kate was still shocked and she was shaking her head at him. "Just don't dismiss it so quickly. It may be yer only shot at hidin' from this scum in deh end."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means my dear, tha' dis man has underestimated yer skill an' may ever suspect yerself becomin' somet'ing you ain't in order ta survive," he told her softly.

Kate thought this over. She had once suggested it to Silver half serious, half jokingly. Just to test out his reaction to the idea and he was clearly against it. Her own thoughts on the matter were scattered, to put it lightly. She never wanted to work with men like the ones Luther had on his crew; that thought alone made her revolt at the idea of joining his crew.

However she could go solo for a while until she found a crew not as revolting as Luther's crew. Hell, if she made a good enough impression she could get on any crew as long as she kept her true identity hidden…and that would be the trick. But she had piracy in her blood, Kate could pull it off. The question was though: Did she really want to?

"I'll…," she paused for a second, "have to think about it."

Luther looked as though he was holding back a comment but Kate didn't question him on it. He only nodded his head curtly.

"I've told my men ta keep their paws off ya however Bentley was adamant on keepin' watch on ya," he informed her. "So try ta keep yer comments ta yerself…ya don't wanna upset him too much."

"I'll try," she muttered in a pout and Luther chuckled.

"I'm serious," he told her, "ya killed Heath. Those two hav' been sailing together fer years before yeh came around."

Luther opened his cabin doors where Malcolm and Bentley were waiting and Kate slightly nodded showing Luther she understood. She quickly put up a façade of a discouraged prisoner to save Luther's reputation. It was the least she could do.

"Anyt'ing, sir?" Malcolm respectfully asked as he glared at Kate.

"Not yet," Luther said smoothly. "She'll tell me soon though I am certain. Put 'er in deh brig an' don't touch 'er. Let 'er be," he commanded his crew loudly.

"Ya sure ya don't me to rough 'er up a bit?" Bentley asked eager and willing.

Luther took a long enough pause to concern Kate so much that she snapped her head up towards the pirate Captain, eyes wide with fear. She soon regretted that action. Not a second after her eyes made contact with Luther's face did she receive a backhanded hit to the face from the dwarf. Kate yelped in surprise and then stared determinedly at the floor.

"Don't look at deh Captain!" Bentley shouted at her as Luther stepped between them and looked menacingly down at the dwarf.

"I told you not ta touch 'er, Bentley. I suggest ya take my orders more seriously or you will not be on me crew any more, understood?" Luther threatened and as he was still staring down Bentley he said, "Malcolm take Miss Kayser down ta deh brig. I need ta have a word wit Bentley."

"Aye Captain," Malcolm responded ever the loyal pirate.

Kate was escorted by Malcolm and as he led her down to the brig the other crew members sniggered and hollered. She tentatively touch her already bruising cheek as Malcolm guided her not so gently toward the brig. That was when she realized that Luther did not fully lock the handcuffs. She hid a grin as Malcolm locked her in.

* * *

A couple of hours had passed since Kate was seen taken by Malcolm and his fellow pirate crew members. _Serenity_ was staying at a safe distance away from the other ship but each ship was closing in on Odysseus in a matter of minutes. Conflict was on the horizon for the two crews but for now they were in a standstill. The pirates didn't want to waste their time in a fight when they already had Kate. They needed time to persuade her to give the location of the treasure. And the crew on board _Serenity_ did not want to attack the pirate ship concerned for the safety of Kate.

Sebes was once again on look-out duty as directed by Mr. Cooper who was concentrating fully on steering the ship. From Sebes' position he could, for the most part, see the majority of the pirate's deck and could only make out a couple of life forms roaming the deck. Earlier he saw most of the crew head down to what he assumed was the galley to celebrate their successful mission. It seemed as though the other crew was not too worried about defending their vessel.

Sebes scoffed. "The arrogant bastards."

Captain Amelia, Doppler, Silver, and Jim were still in Amelia's stateroom discussing what to do next. But Sebes had to admit to himself that Andreas was correct. They had to wait it out. Wait for them to make a mistake. Sebes did another scan of the empty space around him and he noticed something odd. There was a longboat coming from the pirate ship heading straight for _Serenity_.

This was very strange. The crew on board the opposing ship did not seem to notice or care. Sebes carefully took out his telescope and adjusted it till he was able to see who was on board the longboat.

"My stars…," he muttered almost dropping the telescope.

He quickly rang the warning bell and threw his telescope to the sharp minded Mr. Cooper who caught it and looked through it in the direction that Sebes was; however Mr. Cooper did succeed in dropping it in shock. Sebes and Andreas quickly ran to where they kept the longboats as Doppler, Amelia, Silver and Jim came out of Amelia's stateroom ready for a fight. Mr. Cooper merely shook his head and made a gesture to follow him down to the longboats.

They followed him down with confused, curious faces and became even more suspicious when they got down there and all they found was Andreas and Sebes in a corner talking animatedly.

"What is the meaning of this Ernie?" Amelia questioned fiercely. "If you haven't noticed we are in a bit of a dangerous situation."

Ernie Cooper was tight lipped. It was Andreas who answered instead.

"Y'all really need to see t'is," Andreas said gruffly with a lingering smirk.

"See w'at?" Silver questioned looking around seeing nothing of interest. It was at that point when the roar of a longboat coming from below could be heard. Mr. Cooper, Andreas and Sebes were shaking with excitement while the others were at a cross between wanting to draw out their weapons or to just stand and wait. The longboat came up clumsily but quick and the person operating it was a blur as Sebes and Andreas jumped into it to take control of docking it.

The redhead who steered it carefully got off and looked tiredly at the others who were staring at her with their jaws dropped.

She gave a weak grin. "Missed me?"

Silver was the first to recover and he took two giant steps toward the girl and engulfed her in a hug. Kate clung to him feeling safe at last. He gently pulled her off to examine her body for any injuries and found to his disgust that his non-cyborg hand had some of her blood on it.

"W'at hurts?" He asked getting down to business.

"Nothing," she replied hesitantly.

Silver raised his bloody hand to prove her wrong. "Liar," he chuckled with no humor.

Kate ignored him and turned her gaze onto Mr. Cooper and Amelia. "We need to start slowly distancing ourselves from them. They'll notice something is off if we just speed off."

"Right," Amelia nodded recovering from her shock. Before heading back to the deck with the rest of the crew she asked, "Silver, can you and Hawkins handle her?"

"Oh yeah," he chuckled again, "we'll be fine."

"'Handle me?'" Kate questioned resisting the urge to slump over. The adrenaline rush she got from her escape was slowly dissipating and she had to force her eyes to stay open. "I'm fine."

"Uh huh," Jim mumbled unconvinced from behind Silver. Kate glared at him with what was left of her energy to stand and look angry at the same time. Jim's gaze on her wasn't a glare at all; his eyes were concentrated on the large bruise on the side of Kate's face.

"I'm gonna git Alayne," Silver stated.

"No," Kate said weakly. "I'm not….that badly hurt. Just tired."

Her godfather nodded at her honesty. "Then I will git some medical supplies. Jim tak'er ta yer room."

Jim took Silver's place in front of Kate who was slightly swaying from side to side. She could faintly tell that he was concerned and that he was standing very close in front of her. He gently cupped the side of her injured face, examining her bruise.

"Kate," he said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," she mumbled leaning into his touch unconsciously.

"Yes, Kate – " She caught him off with an abrupt shake of her head.

"Please don't," she pleaded. "I'm re-really too exhausted to argue this with you….jus-just agree wi-with me this one time...'Kay?"

"Alright," he conceded.

"Good," she told him and then proceeded to pass out.

* * *

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed this latest update because it is going to be the last one for at least a month or two. I am busier than I expected and inspiration for the next chapter hasn't come yet. So please be patient. I hope my long period of waiting for a chapter to pop up hasn't deterred you from my story. Love to you all!**

**REVIEWS MAKE ME SMILE!**

**Responses to Reviews:**

**OMGitsEMILY: I'm so glad everybody gets Kate's reasoning. I wasn't so sure with the way I wrote it that people would get it. So, thanks! I love that every chapter surprises you. I hope this one did too! :D**

**Lenixxx: Oh wow. You had me gushing. I don't even know what to say…like THANK YOU! If I could give you a hug I totally would. **

**Karin Matthews: ****Better than the original "Treasure Planet"? For real? Wow…thank you!**

**amalimrock: I really don't know how to put this but I just have to say this…somehow. But believe me when I say I am a complete hater of cliché love scenes that just sound fake. So when I was writing that scene I had to read over it again and again just to make sure that it didn't sound like that. Which is why I prefer writing action/adventure stories rather than romance stories. And I am 99.9% certain that it isn't like that. I just want to put that out there. I respect your criticism but I am extremely confident that it was not cliché. I'm not trying to start a huge argument or anything so please don't take this the wrong way. Anyways, on hopefully a lighter note, the mystery of the traitor…I really hope to make people guessing till the last second. Thank you SO much!**

**Randomwriter118: Yes, no fluffy "omgiloveyou" stories for me. I'm going to keep it real. I'm happy you thought that it stayed realistic to their personalities. That was my goal. Thank you!**

**Mikhaila Stillman: No worries, you can review whenever you want lol. I'm glad you LOVED that chapter, a lot reviewers seemed to have enjoyed that one a lot. Thanks!**

**chasingtheday: I don't know you'll just have to wait and see! ;) Thank you! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet. But I do own Katharine Kayser and her story.**

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

Silver was pacing in Kate's bedroom growing increasingly impatient. He had gotten the medical supplies to fix up Kate's cuts on her lower back but Jim and Kate were not there waiting for him when he arrived. The cyborg was about to go search for the pair but just then Jim burst into the room carrying an unconscious Kate in his arms.

"She can handle it, huh?" Jim asked angrily as he gently laid Kate down on her bed. "I don't think her passing out is a good sign that she handled it well."

Jim glanced at Silver to see him in shock. His eyes were wide and he was staring down at Kate in concern and in new apprehension. "Maybe I should git Alayne," Silver mumbled but made no move to go find her.

"No," Jim stated. "Kate passing out has nothing to do with her injuries. She is just exhausted. Let her sleep." Jim rushed out before he said something to Silver that he would not be able to take back. Like Silver; Jim did not expect Kate to just pass out that suddenly. However, unlike Silver; Jim wanted to go and retrieve Kate immediately. Maybe if he wouldn't have postponed his plans to do so Kate wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Jim shook himself. It didn't matter anymore what he should have done. It had already passed. What mattered now was that Kate was back and safe.

And now Jim had an entirely different matter to attend to. While he was carrying Kate down to their room, he got stalled by Alayne who told him that Eddie was awake and talking to Amelia. Jim knew Amelia was suspicious of his friend. Jim had to be there to defend him; Jim had known Eddie since their first days at the Academy and he was absolutely positive that Eddie had nothing to do with Kate's capture. Eddie hurting his head was merely a coincidence.

"So Mr. Downey, you are telling me that you were on your watch," Jim walked in on Amelia questioning Eddie, "when you slipped," she gave him a non-believing look, "and fell?"

Jim quietly shut the infirmary door behind him and joined an anxious looking Zoë in the corner who barely noticed his entranced; she was so focused on Eddie. Morph was hovering above her right shoulder, oblivious to the tense atmosphere, when he saw Jim he perked up and zoomed over to greet him.

Eddie narrowed his eyes on Amelia as he tried to concentrate on the conversation instead of the throbbing pain in his head. "Yes and I hit my head," he stated and pointed to his bandaged head.

"That is obvious, Mr. Downey," Amelia continued, "what I find curious, is that your little _accident_ occurred right before Katharine was taken."

Eddie went wide-eyed at this hidden accusation. Zoë suddenly stood up to say something but Jim stopped her by the shoulder and shook his head. His message was clear: _You'll only make things worse._

"Captain," Eddie breathed out, "I would never – are you accusing me of giving those creeps opportunity to kidnap Kate?"

"I'm not quite certain whether you had any part in it or not," Amelia explained, "but what I do know is that you look highly suspicious of this role and since it has been deduced that there is indeed another traitor on this-,"

Eddie cut her off. "That was my doing! I found out we were being followed and told Jim. Jim tell her!" Eddie was desperate and angry which was his right. He could barely yell but as he tried to sit up to do more of it Zoë moved forward instinctively and gently guided him to lie back down with a hushing sound.

Everybody turned toward Jim. "He's telling the truth, Captain. Eddie was the only person to figure out about the other traitor."

"You trust Mr. Downey?" Amelia questioned.

"With my life, ma'am," Jim replied without hesitation.

Amelia eyed Jim for a moment before turning back to Eddie. "I do not believe in coincidences, Mr. Downey. I am only letting this slide because of Mr. Hawkins' unwavering trust in you; however if I receive an inkling of incentive or evidence against you I can assure you that there will be a place for you in the brig." With her last stony glance at Eddie, Captain Amelia briskly walked out of the room.

Once the door shut behind her Eddie let out a deep breath and Zoë released her grip on his shoulders preferring his hand instead. "I've never realized how scary of a feline she was until now," Eddie said weakly.

"She's only scary when you're on her bad side," Jim commented with a shrug.

Zoë nodded in agreement. "I can't believe she suspects Eddie. She hired him!"

"She also hired Malcolm and the rest of that crew and look what happened," Jim told her.

"Well then it's paranoia!" Zoë explained loudly. "Who knows even if the traitor is even on the boat? For all we know there is a tracker somewhere on board."

Eddie and Jim locked in on Zoë after her last statement. "You know, Zo. That isn't a bad idea," Eddie thought out loud.

She rolled her grey eyes at him. "I'm not as incompetent as I look you know."

"I'm going to ask Silver if that is possible," Jim stated absently walking toward the door.

"Wait Jim," Eddie told him and Jim turned around, "thanks mate for defending me."

Jim nodded. "Anytime." He walked out the door and was about to speed down to talk to Silver when a polite cough stopped him. Jim turned around to see Alayne standing against the wall by the infirmary door with a slight smile on her face.

"I wouldn't go back yet," she told him, "I think Silver and Kate would like a moment alone, to catch up, you know?"

"Uh, yeah I suppose you're right," Jim agreed reluctantly.

She eyed him critically before asking, "How are you doing?"

"I would be a lot better once we catch the traitor," Jim ran hands through his hair and looked warily back at Alayne who looked sympathetic. "How are you?"

She smiled back at him. "Much better now that Kate's safe. I thought you would be too."

"I am." Jim told her rather quickly. "However," he paused "this isn't going to be over till we stop whoever is after Kate. You don't you any idea who is behind this, do you?"

Shock flitted across her features. "No, Jim. Why would I? I know as much as you do."

"Not according to Eddie," he shot back hotly.

Alayne looked down at this and the feeling of guilt slowly overcame Jim. When he looked back at her she was biting her lip which was the first human response Jim ever witnessed her do.

"We all have our own secrets Jim," she said seriously, "however, believe me when I tell you, if I knew any information concerning the safety of the crew or Kate, you would have been the first to know."

"I doubt it," Jim retorted as he swallowed his guilt. He watched Alayne as she blinked a couple times as his words finally soaked in and a mixture of shock and anger shook through her body. "You seem to keep everything to yourself. And then you act on your own."

Alayne stood up a bit straighter at his words. "And how is that such a terrible thing?"

"Because," Jim told her fiercely, "you are a part of this crew and we need people we can trust. So how can we trust you if you don't tell us everything that you know?"

"You don't trust me?" Alayne asked her voice steady.

"Of course I do," Jim nearly yelled exhausted. "Your intentions are good, I believe that. But you can't handle everything on your own, you gotta let us know." Jim dropped his voice to whisper, "I'm not asking you how ya know, just that ya let someone else know."

Alayne pursed her lips at this and then with a sigh she walked over to Jim and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're right," she told him softly, "I do things on my own and I will continue to do so," Jim narrowed his eyes at this statement, "I know you don't understand and may come to hate me for it but it is for the best."

She turned to walk away from a defeated Jim but then stopped. "Thank you Jim, for telling me that you have trust in me. It will be put to good use." Jim nodded at her sentiments and then was slightly shocked when Alayne added, "I think you should go see Kate now."

* * *

Kate woke up slowly with her head still pounding and her limbs heavy. A whirling of gears was the only sound she could make out which were coming from her left side. Smiling slightly, as her clouded mind recognized the presence beside her bed; she turned herself on her side to address him.

"Told ya Malcolm not talking was bad news," she told him her voice weak.

Silver almost smiled. "Tha' ya did, lass." He came forward to help prop her up on some pillows and with a look of forced severity he gave her a glass of water. Kate knew he wanted her to drink the whole glassful and did so willingly. A second passed and the water was gone and Silver replaced the glass in her hand with a purp. "Eat," he commanded in a grunt.

Kate was then hit with a case of déjà vu. The same sequence of events took place after the fire on Persephone, except that time she could not seem to keep anything down or stop the sobs from racking her body. She assumed that Silver with remembering the same scene with a little more gratitude that this time the cause of her shock was not due to something as tragic.

"I'm okay," she smiled at him and then took a bite. He nodded grimly as he refilled her glass. "How are you?" She asked trying to feel the silence with her curiosity.

"Better," he replied, "glad ta hav' ya back Katie." He ruffled that top of her head and started to pace around the room.

Around after the fifth pace Kate rolled her eyes at Silver as she tossed the remains of her purp in the trash. She needed some conversation or she was going to scream.

"What's going on in that cyborg head of yours?" She asked tossing a pillow at her guardian.

He ignored the pillow; letting it fall to the floor and looked her with a sigh. "After yer…erm capture," Silver started slowly, "Alayne found Eddie unconscious on deh deck o'deh ship. He was on watch. 'Cause o'is 'accident'," Silver said the word in disbelief, "t'ey were able ta take ya."

"You don't believe him." Kate stated her face neutral.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted, "I trust Jim but t'is friend o'is…I don't like him much."

Kate nodded. "Eddie can be a pig, but I don't think he's a traitorous pig."

"How can ya be so certain, Katie?" Silver asked her seriously crossing his arms across his chest. "Cap'n suspicious o' him. She's talkin' ta him as we speak."

She shrugged. "Just a gut feeling."

Silver narrowed his eyes and his cyborg eye started turning red. Kate immediately shrank back preparing herself for one of his famous lectures. They either made her cry or pissed her off to the point where she started breaking things.

Instead Silver started rambling in grunts. "Cannot believe – deh girl can't – for deh stars above…a feelin'?" He spluttered and Kate held in a laugh. This was a first. She had never rendered Silver speechless before now. "Dis is yer life we're talkin' about! An' ya wanna trust a 'gut feeling'?"

Kate thought about it for a millisecond before nodding completely confident with her gut feeling. "Yep."

Silver sensing his god child's newly found confidence cursed and then stared at her thoughtfully. His cyborg eye was slowly changing back to its regular dull color. She grabbed her glass of water and started to drink heavily from it.

"Is dis feelin' 'cause he's _Jim's_ friend?"

Kate spluttered and coughed at the unsuspecting question nearly spilling water everywhere. She reluctantly looked up at Silver. Kate had a thought that he just asked that to get a reaction from her and then tease her about it. However Silver's face was serious and grim.

"Uh, what is that suppose to mean?" She distracted herself by slowly cleaning up her mess.

"Well," Silver said awkwardly. "You an' Jim hav' gotten pretty close. Don't cha t'ink I haven't noticed!"

She blinked as his voice grew in volume. "And I thought that's what you wanted. For us to get close."

"Close so ye two can trust each ot'er not tha' close where yeh ignore evidence in front o' yer face jus' cause…"

Silver trailed off suggestively and Kate's anger finally rose. "I thought you knew me better than that, Silver. I would never, _never_ overlook any troubling matters just cause I may have kissed a boy a couple times. I may have issues with trusting people around me but I always say what I believe!"

Kate felt a sense of accomplishment as she glared at her mentor and guardian for the past two years. Proud of her little speech and the jaw dropped look on Silver's face, Kate did not realize the piece of private information she had let slip during the exchange.

"Wait..," Silver was finally able to speak, "you," he pointed at Kate, "an' Jimbo kissed?"

It was Kate's turn to look shocked. "Jim didn't tell you," she mumbled weakly.

The cyborg shook his head and then proceeded to laugh loudly. Kate crossed her arms and looked away from him as she flushed. Before Silver could comment on Kate's update of her current relationship with Jim; a knock abruptly stopped Silver's laughing fit.

"Oi," he exclaimed wiping a tear that escaped during his laughter, "come on in."

Jim came in through the door cautiously and Silver had a hard time keeping his laughter in check that Jim was the one to be knocking. However Kate's glare at the cyborg helped him think quickly and disguise his laughter as a loud cough.

"Well…t'en," Silver spluttered, "I best be gettin' back ta me post." He coughed again and as Jim glanced toward Kate with a confused look on his face seeking for an explanation on Silver's behavior; Silver sent an exaggerated wink Kate's way and shut the door. Kate groaned and dropped her head into her hands as Jim casually leaned against the door Silver just excited.

He jerked his thumb toward that direction. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" Jim asked wearing his cocky smile.

Kate, whose head was still in her hands, shook her head repeatedly. She still did not understand how Silver had gone from berating her on trusting Eddie to teasing her about kissing Jim. Running her hands through her hair in exasperation distracting herself from looking at her irritating attraction. Jim seemed to have sensed that she was avoiding starting conversation with him.

He sighed loudly and Kate's eyes snapped to meet his. Jim wasn't smiling any more. "I just came from infirmary where Amelia was interrogating Eddie on his alliances. Did Silver…"

"Yeah, he did," and Kate sighed too. She knew what was coming up next. Jim was going to question her on what she thought concerning Eddie's innocence.

Jim's eyes bore into hers. "What do you think?" He asked her seriously.

"I'll tell ya what I told Silver," she stated was severity, "Eddie may be pig but I don't think for one second that he is a traitorous pig."

He laughed. "I guess that is one way to put it." Jim smiled at her and she returned it with a small smile of her own.

"However," Jim's smile turned into a frown, "none of this questioning helps with the troubling thought that there is a traitor on broad this boat –"

Kate interrupted. "I'm sorry, Jim, but I do not believe for one second that anybody on board this boat could be a traitor. They're…just not…ya know."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know," Jim waved it away, "you didn't let me finish. I actually don't believe that either."

"Then why did you – "

Jim shot her a pointed look which told Kate to 'shut up' and she waited patiently for him to finish. "Zoë shared an interesting theory with Eddie and me. She pointed out the possibility that there may be a tracker on board _Serenity_."

Kate's eyes widen and she pursed her lips in thought. "That's not a bad idea. A small mechanical device that can be easily concealed within a vessel this size. And those thugs that were a part of our crew for a time had the opportunity to plant one."

She stopped talking to look at Jim who had his jaw dropped. "What?" Kate asked.

"Did you memorize that definition straight from an Academy textbook?" Jim smirked.

"Very funny," she commented dryly. "Have you told Amelia about this?"

Jim shook his head. "I was going to tell Silver first but I got distracted…," he trailed off and Kate immediately knew what he was referring to. Apparently he was just too curious about Silver's departure from Kate's room that left her in such what was almost an embarrassed position. She bit her lower lip determined to not be ashamed of what happened before Jim's arrival.

"I talked to Silver," Kate told him breaking the silence. Jim raised a brow at this but didn't say anything as if to silently say "duh".

She decided to elaborate further. "I'm surprised you didn't tell him about.., uh what happened before…," she trailed off as the memory of Jim kissing her clicked between them.

"I didn't think _that_ was so important after you were kidnapped," Jim explained dryly.

Kate nodded. "Well he knows now."

Jim's head snapped to Kate who was trying very hard not to look at him. "What?" He spluttered. "How?"

"I didn't think covering up _that_ could compete with me being kidnapped by pirates," she parroted back at him. "Besides I'm not so concerned about Silver knowing. We're big kids now; we can do what we want."

Something Kate told him made Jim lock his eyes on hers as he approached her slowly. "Oh we can?" He teased with a smirk.

"Yeah but not now," she teased back but then got serious.

"Jim," she sighed deeply, "the only reason I was able to escape from the ship..," Kate paused she didn't know how explain not only what happened but how much it changed everything. With Luther as an ally their odds of survival seemed to have gotten exponentially better. She needed to tell somebody and Kate knew that if she told Silver or Amelia they would not believe for a second that Luther was on their –no - her side. Jim would understand, since he had been in that same position before with Silver on Treasure Planet.

"The Captain on that ship," she informed him, "his name is Luther and thanks to him, really, I'm here and not there." Kate explained rather lamely.

Jim sat down next to her and furrowed his eyebrows at her. "How so?"

"He explained to me that we are allies – "

"Yeah but how?" Jim asked again and Kate put a finger to his lips requesting some patience with a stern look.

"It's private," she told him, "but you have to know that I trust him." At Jim's astonished look she said, "Jim, he gave me the key to escape off his ship without being noticed by his crew and he's been threatened to capture me!"

His jaw dropped. "And you believe him?"

"Yes," she answered firmly.

Jim dropped his head in his hands frustrated and groaned. "Kate," he mumbled, "I don't understand how you can put your trust someone you had one conversation with when you just started to trust me a couple weeks ago." He grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her.

Startled, Kate said softly, "It's a feeling."

He searched her expression with his eyes trying to find a trace of doubt but found none. Jim found it to be incredibly naive or foolishly brave. Without thinking Kate leaned in to him as Jim was lost in his thoughts. But then they were but interrupted when a siren sounded throughout the ship signaling their approach to the planet. Kate looked away but Jim kept his sights on the dark eyed girl.

Jim shook her again to get her attention back to him. "Promise me something Kate. Don't put your faith in this guy. I know he has your trust but do not rely on him. Got it?"

She nodded her head taken aback on Jim's persistence to not take too many risks. _Is this the same guy that took me solar surfing and nearly killed me? _Kate thought.

Before she could say or think anything else Jim lightly kissed her lips and left the room presumably to go talk to Amelia and Silver about a tracker. Kate smirked at his retreating back and said into silence, "maybe he is the same guy."

* * *

**A/N: What's this? An update! Yeah I suck. I'm SO sorry guys. These last chapters are going to kill me because I know how the story it going to go, I just don't know how to write it exactly..? I hope that made sense. So be prepared for a long wait. (SORRY!) However this story will get finished I swear.**

**emberlies****: Hmmm…I can't tell you. I'm pretty sure you would rather figure it out through the story than if I just tell you. Thanks for telling me what you're thinking and thanks for the love! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Bobbit The Hobbit****: It blows my mind that you are THAT engrossed in my story. It is a huge compliment. Sorry to have kept you waiting but writer's block is a pain. Please PM me if you feel like explaining who you think the traitor is. I love to know what my readers are thinking. **

**R.****: Four hours? Holy cow. Thanks so much for the love and compliment.**

**Randomwriter118****: I love your reviews they make me smile. I hope I can continue to entertain you with my story. Thanks again!**

**chasingtheday****: I'm glad the twists are getting better for you! Thanks for the review!**

**Valarious****: Thank you so much for that comment! I think that is the one thing I work on the most. The building of character and their relationships. Thanks!**

**OMGitsEMILY****: Girl, I finally updated! Now it's your turn lol Thanks a bunch again for your review. I'm glad the story is still giving people unexpected twists. And 'Fearless' is perfect just the way it is and you already have too much on your plate already don't go and add that as another project. Thanks again!**

**Lenixxx****: Sorry for the wait dude! Thanks for the compliment and the hug haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**amalimrock****: Thanks for understanding I'm glad you enjoyed that little twist. And please feel free to keep me in check on clichéd romance scenes. Thanks so much! **


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